Guzzi Clubber, Guzzi Alce, Lady Guzzi

[Mikecocos]

See the V7 section in the link pasted below. Guzzi Clubber, Guzzi Alce, Lady Guzzi are listed as new customization options for the V7. Anyone have pics of what these new kits look like?


http://www.motoguzzi.com/motoguzzi/EN/en/news/Moto-Guzzi-at-Eicma-2015.html

[arveno]

I like every single model of the V7's family , i wonder why they did not put the "big bore" V9 engine into the V7's models.

I cannot look at the " bobber" , it looks is awful .

[Vasco DG]

Oh god! Please! Make it stop! 'Lady Guzzi'? I just threw up a bit in my mouth! How much more awful and patronising can it get?

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE.??

[Guzzistajohn]

[acogoff]

     Talk about trying to target a certain life style type of buyer. Next we will see the Guzzi Pirate Special, Guzzi Barbi and Guzzi Puffter.

[Vasco DG]

Don't think you'd get away with a Guzzi poofter in this day and age but they already seem to have Guzzi metrosexual well covered!

[Penderic]

Might work.

 

[Muzz]

When the Breva first came out the optional low seat was called a "lady seat". Even on WG everyone seemed to then call the model a ladies bike and would sneer at it. I have a thick hide (or perhaps it is because I am just thick) but I did not care; the bike is a wee gem.  I find it interesting that over the years more and more hard core riders are finding that the small blocks are a really nice ride in their own right.

[Muzz]

Yeah , and they don't go BOOM either 

  Dusty

INCOMING!!!!!!

The earlier ones did.  I must admit, I did a wee chuckle of the grenade Chuck threw in Pete's direction.

[Vasco DG]

Actually I don't mind taking the hit on the 8V. I did defend it vigorously for seven years. Thing is that for seven years I saw no problems, really, zero! What was I supposed to do when the vast majority of shops that we're seeing failures were seemingly pretty hopeless and the worst sequences seemed to be occurring in cool, damp climates, an argument that I still feel has legs as the failure rate does increase exponentially in certain circumstances.

Once the evidence started appearing in my own workshop on bikes I had known and serviced from new? That changed the whole perspective.

As it is the roller top end seems to have cured all the problems so what did they do? Keep selling bikes they knew we're going to fail for two years, even though they knew the fix and it would work, then they make their customers jump through hoops to get a roller replacement and short change their dealers and customers on the fix, (Flush the engine? You bloody jest don't you? Apparently not! ) and finally, when they get the motor as bulletproof as the rest of the bikes? They axe them!

F*cking brilliant Piaggio. Keep it up!

Pete

[oldbike54]

 Pete , you are a prince among men . Honestly if I were you Piaggio would be getting an earful . Kind of sad when as staunch a supporter of the brand , and a tech on top of that , becomes disillusioned with the whole
mess .

  Dusty

[rboe]

They had a good fix for the hydro motor, and ditched it. Meh. Common thread here.

[Vasco DG]

Dusty, I'm just a bloke. A very ordinary bloke as you know. I happen to be rusted on to Guzzi and have always admired their willingness to 'Buck the trend' while at the same time move forward incrementally.

The problem I have with the V9 is that it is regressive, it's not continuing the forward momentum. Look at the history! First production bike with FI on the entire range, first bike to use a reactive drive at the rear end, first machine to use a single TB and branched manifolds with twin lambda input. The list goes on.

And now it stops. The V7-II begs for a smaller version of the Hi-Cam and a modern chassis. What do we get instead? Fashion accessories! It breaks my heart.

As I've said before I love the Griso, if someone had built a bespoke vehicle just for me it would be very hard to get something better than my bike. The fact it's being shit-canned in its current form saddens me but everything has a lifespan and the mighty Griso has been around now for aeons in production terms.

Ironically if you go to a Guzzi rally in Oz these days one of the commonest bikes are Griso's, they seem at last to have struck a cord, although many of them are running well sub-optimally due to ignorance and ludditism.

All I'd like to see is some sort of 'Light at the end of the tunnel' that would show there are plans for the falcon to fly again rather than just being pushed out of the nest to be the cuckold of the Piaggio family condemned to wander forever as a sort of Marrie Celleste condemned to produce safe, unthreatening, ornaments and vast, wallowing, turds of 'Cruisers'.

At the moment the tunnel is more like a mineshaft.

Pete

[JeffOlson]

See the V7 section in the link pasted below. Guzzi Clubber, Guzzi Alce, Lady Guzzi are listed as new customization options for the V7. Anyone have pics of what these new kits look like?


http://www.motoguzzi.com/motoguzzi/EN/en/news/Moto-Guzzi-at-Eicma-2015.html

The wording:

Project GUZZI CLUBBER: for the sport world new parts are dedicated in full-on cafè racer style, such as the top fairing in satin finish aluminium with smoked Plexiglas which blends perfectly with the front lines of the motorcycle, the chromium semi-handlebars with a sport bend and handlebar mirrors made from billet aluminium, also with a brushed finish. A range of components follows this style as well (fuel tank, front mudguard, injector covers, side fairings and tail fairing) made in satin finish aluminium. A new tail fairing becomes an element of unmistakeable style and combines with the premium single-seat saddle and a new rear mudguard. Last but not least, the exhaust can be enhanced by special bends for the manifolds, whereas the set-back footpegs for the rider contribute to a sportier riding position.
 
Project GUZZI ALCE: the off-road world and Moto Guzzi's off-road heritage have new increased stroke shock absorbers dedicated to them, as well as dust boots for the fork stanchions and a black handlebar with reinforcing crosspiece. The single seat rider saddle also matches the ingenious and attractive portion of the passenger saddle which can be removed to create more room for baggage. The off-road details continue with tubular engine and leg guards, as well as a front headlight guard. Other must-have features are the exhaust unit that runs closely along the right hand side of the vehicle and the black toolbag that can be positioned on the luggage rack or on the fuel tank.
 
Project LADY GUZZI: for the female rider Moto Guzzi dedicates a specifically designed range of accessories. Parts like the fuel tank, front mudguard and the headlamp body are painted in a particular and elegant shade. The lowered one-and-a-half seat saddle is quite handy, upholstered in two-tone leather and stitched in a rhombus pattern. The same material and treatment are also used for the side pannier. The range is completed by a chromium handlebar that is straighter and wider than the standard one, round, short shank mirrors made from billet aluminium, the special pair of horn covers in billet aluminium and the bends for the exhaust manifolds.
Naturally the first four styles recommended by Moto Guzzi that take their roots in the deep motorcycling heritage of the Mandello Manufacturer are still available.

[oldbike54]

 Well Pete , the thing that stands out about the wonderful evening that the 3 of us spent together was in fact that you are one of us , a simple bloke who loves motorbikes , albeit , a bit more informed than most . Don't give up yet mate , we don't yet know what the mothership has in store . Unfortunately , the Griso never quite took off over here , American taste in MCs running more to HD and their clones .

  Dusty

[Vasco DG]

Moto Guzzi 'Clubber'?

Do you reckon it will work on seals?

Pete

[Muzz]

I love seals.

They taste delicious. (sign seen on a car rear window).

[jas67]

Moto Guzzi 'Clubber'?

Do you reckon it will work on seals?

Pete

LOL.   That was the first thing that came to my mind too.   I just didn't want to say it.

[Chuck in Indiana]

All I'd like to see is some sort of 'Light at the end of the tunnel' that would show there are plans for the falcon to fly again rather than just being pushed out of the nest to be the cuckold of the Piaggio family condemned to wander forever as a sort of Marrie Celleste condemned to produce safe, unthreatening, ornaments and vast, wallowing, turds of 'Cruisers'.

I couldn't have said it nearly as well myself..  but I have the same feeling. A couple of years ago there were pretty substantial rumors of a new LeMans in the works, and I was really looking forward to that. We get a batmobile instead? 

[Vasco DG]

And that is all I'd ask of Piaggio. Give us something with sporting 'Pretensions'. Guzzi have never made a true 'Sports' bike. What they have done is built superb ROAD bikes that have always punched well above their weight.

If I wanted a barking mad bike and I was thirty five years younger I'd buy an RSV-4, if I was even fifteen years younger and not rusted on to Guzzi I'd have a Tuono.

I can see *Why* in commercial terms they concentrate on their core market but why has their core market descended to being trend driven hagiographies made metal that appease and feed a market of the ignorant and clueless?

The very fact the some marketing twonk saw fit to invoke the excreble Nevada, (A model so universally despised in most markets that it sold at most in double digits and I for one could never make out how it made a profit unless it was laundering drug money!) would seem to show that not only has the ball been dropped but the plot lost and Elvis has well and truly left the building!

As I will re-iterate again before Kev gets on my case I have no problem with the smallblocks nowadays and find all the bluster about their 'Power Deficit' an insufferable wank but if the platform and company want to move forward they have to do something not with the engine but with the running gear.

The Smallblock Six Speed is a lovely thing like all recent Guzzi boxes. The problem is it's the best thing about the bike! The new V9 motor may assist the gearbox but it is still in a shitty 1970's frame and the suspension isn't just bad, it's AWFUL.That has to change. It doesn't mean that it has to look like an 'Insect' or completely divorce itself from its legacy, you can build something nice looking with good shit and still keep it pretty *Traditional*. Some sort of perimeter frame, real forks rather than pogo sticks and a decent, (And probably cheaper! Twang!) cantilever rear shock/swingarm and you'd have a recipe for the second decade of the twenty first century rather than the seventh of the twentieth!

Just sayin'

Pete

[Aaron D.]

A market of the ignorant and clueless.

I am gobsmacked and speechless.

[Vasco DG]

A market of the ignorant and clueless.

I am gobsmacked and speechless.

Would you like to expand on that? It's a bit ambiguous.

Pete

[oldbike54]

A market of the ignorant and clueless.

I am gobsmacked and speechless.

 Aaron , the average motorcycle buyer has been clueless for years . We , meaning the average WG member, are  anomalies . I will relate a conversation with a couple of 50 somethings had a couple of years back .

 1st guy  , looking at a small gathering of early 1970's bikes belonging to a group of friends . "I owned a 450 Yamaha back in the 1970's " Me , "probably a Honda." 1st guy , "No , it was a 4 cylinder Yamaha 450." Me , "well, probably neither." 1st guy gets a blank stare on his face and says , "well it was blue". 

 His friend (2nd guy) chimes in now . "Yeah , I had a 650 twin cylinder Honda , looked like a Triumph" . Me , "probably a Yamaha" . 2nd guy , "well , it was red." 

 

 The manufacturers don't care if the buyers are informed , their only concern is if the customer has money or credit .

  Dusty

[Loftness]

Sorry guys, but if I had the time I'd go back through here and round up all the threads where people bitched about the lack of accessories for the new V7 line compared to other manufacturers.  Now Guzzi starts rolling out accessories and people are bitching about it.  Who cares what labels they put on the packages?  The point is they're letting people customize their bikes a bit more to their liking...you know, the way a certain successful competitor motorcycle manufacturer does.  They're trying to come up with ways to be present, appealing and interesting to a customer base that quite frankly has been flagging for many many years. 

Now, I'm sure when the accessory list comes out I'll personally start gagging at the pricing, but I'm not going to fault them for putting out an offering of options for their customers.

[Aaron D.]

Yes, Dusty, the average motorcyclist has been clueless forever, as compared to the enthusiasts who come here to discuss. At least in the narrow field upon which we focus.

Pete, to expand on my comment, some days I am as crotchety as the next guy and I have been guilty of a hidden arrogance and feeling of superiority in my deep knowledge of certain areas (at least I hope it was hidden, but sadly I know it has not always been obscured by my good looks) (at least I like to think it was deep knowledge).

Maybe I'm becoming gentler and wiser as I get older, or maybe I've just been embarrassed too many times when I am caught out in thinking that someone with different preferences is ignorant.

In most of the developed world, a person buys a motorcycle because they want , maybe, to have a little adventure or style in their lives. All they really need from a bike is to have it start and get them to where they want to go, and to look they way they want to look. They don't care about suspension geometry, unsprung weight, how many valves-but they do hope that their friends will think they look good.

In the US, most folk that picture themselves on a motorcycle picture a motorcycle that looks like a Harley, even if they can't spell it.

These good folk have careers, areas of expertise, families they love, people they hate, whatever.  Many are experts in their given field.

I object to the statement that they are clueless and ignorant.

[oldbike54]

 Aaron , really wish my knowledge of how to make money matched my knowledge of motorbikes , I would be worth at least a thousand bucks 

  Dusty

[ohiorider]

Well Pete , the thing that stands out about the wonderful evening that the 3 of us spent together was in fact that you are one of us , a simple bloke who loves motorbikes , albeit , a bit more informed than most . Don't give up yet mate , we don't yet know what the mothership has in store . Unfortunately , the Griso never quite took off over here , American taste in MCs running more to HD and their clones .

  Dusty

As for me, I've now owned 2 CARC Guzzis  .... the 1200 Sport and the Griso8vSE.  The primary reason the Sport remains in the garage and the Griso has been sold boils down to the stock suspension of both bikes. 

I hadn't demo'd the Sport before purchasing, but had always wanted a Guzzi and couldn't pass up the $8499 price for a leftover 1200 Sport.  I rode it home from Swanzy, NH, and noted the stock saddle and handlebar wouldn't work for me, so I immediately had Sargent put firmer foam in the saddle, and took the advice of other owners who had installed the Mana handlebar.  Now I had a really nice sport tourer, especially with the addition of HB Juniors and some adjustable footpegs.

Two years into Guzzi ownership, and the Tenni Green 8vSE kept calling, and I answered the call by selling my T100 Bonnie, and making a small raid on my IRA.  Again, no demo ride, just a fly and ride from home to Riders Hill, where I spent a few days running up enough miles for the first service before returning home.  I paid little attention to the suspension, since the quality of the roads in that part of the country was first class.

As I got closer to home, I encountered some of Ohio's 'finest', and was stunned over how harsh the Griso took the bumps.  Oh, well, I'll sort this out over the next couple of weeks.  Not to be.  Even took the bike to a suspension specialist who adjusted sag and made the bike as compliant as he could with the stock suspension.

Long story short ...... I appreciated the ease of jumping on the Griso, since it was not much if any larger than the Bonneville.  The engine was a beast that was a hoot to wind thru the first 2-3 gears.  My stock mapping felt fine to me.  The ergos weren't too bad, and could have been improved ..... but I just couldn't make myself start throwing money at new suspension components, since I didn't think the overall length of travel was long enough to achieve the compliant feel of the 1200 Sport.  I feared I would arrive at a bike that felt different, but not what I wanted in a general purpose bike.  I found myself skipping some of my favorite roads in favor of smoother highways.

So, it was my mistake, and no amount of demo riding before the sale would have dissuaded me from buying the Griso, because it was truly love at first sight.  But I can say, I don't regret the experience, because the Griso was the most unique of the dozen or so bikes I've owned over the past 30 years.