Mille GT

[JJ]

Here is another tasty Mille GT, seen at the Guzzi Datil Rally in August 2013. 

I believe the owner was from New Mexico...

[Lannis]

FYI Lannis & anyone else who might be interested, (again) due to age and an uncomfortably crowded garage, my Mille probably will go on the market next spring.  I'll only list it on Wildguzzi.com & maybe the DC Craigslist; I don't want to fool with eBay.

That's that really pretty red one with the HB bags, always have admired that paint scheme ... !!

Lannis

[jumpmaster]

That's that really pretty red one with the HB bags, always have admired that paint scheme ... !!

Lannis

I'm assuming that you saw it & talked to me for a couple of minutes at the British & European Classic Motorcycle Show in Maryland a few years ago.  Yes, I personally like the red color scheme much better than the other 2 choices, and I also lucked out by buying one with spoked wheels, although I think my brake rotors have plenty of life in them.  I understand that rotors for the alloy wheels are essentially unobtainable, unless you have a friend with a spare used one.  Probably the only part that is unobtainable, though.

[Lannis]

I'm assuming that you saw it & talked to me for a couple of minutes at the British & European Classic Motorcycle Show in Maryland a few years ago.  Yes, I personally like the red color scheme much better than the other 2 choices, and I also lucked out by buying one with spoked wheels, although I think my brake rotors have plenty of life in them.  I understand that rotors for the alloy wheels are essentially unobtainable, unless you have a friend with a spare used one.  Probably the only part that is unobtainable, though.

We've met somewhere, I do remember that, although I haven't been to the Maryland "British and European Show" for 15 years or so, I always have a conflict that 3rd weekend in May with another event.  Somewhere else, though.

And I THINK that the only all-red Mille GT that I've seen in the flesh (metal) was at the New Cumberland WV rally one Memorial Day, maybe the National in 2005, don't know if that were yours or not I saw there.

I was going by the picture you posted earlier this year, I hadn't forgotten it!

Lannis

[Testarossa]

I like my '89 Mille. It's heavy for me (at 150 lb) but handles well enough to keep pace with more powerful bikes in the twisties. It's my go-to for touring especially 2-up. I put an SP fairing on it. It's been totally reliable.

[jumpmaster]

I like my '89 Mille. It's heavy for me (at 150 lb) but handles well enough to keep pace with more powerful bikes in the twisties. It's my go-to for touring especially 2-up. I put an SP fairing on it. It's been totally reliable.

Your SP fairing nicely balances the HB Journey bags.  With a front fork brace on it, mine handles well enough to keep up, with a little work, with all but the most suicidal of my Norton-riding friends on curvy roads even though it's considerably heavier than a Norton.

[kfz]

MOT this week.  200 miles shakedown.  all good to go

[jumpmaster]

We've met somewhere, I do remember that, although I haven't been to the Maryland "British and European Show" for 15 years or so, I always have a conflict that 3rd weekend in May with another event.  Somewhere else, though.

And I THINK that the only all-red Mille GT that I've seen in the flesh (metal) was at the New Cumberland WV rally one Memorial Day, maybe the National in 2005, don't know if that were yours or not I saw there.

Lannis

The International Norton Owners Rally in Buena Vista, Va in July, 2017?  I think I talked to you there for a few minutes.  Or a Bikes & B'fast Sunday morning meeting in Poolesville, Md - I've ridden it to a couple of them?

[Lannis]

The International Norton Owners Rally in Buena Vista, Va in July, 2017?  I think I talked to you there for a few minutes.  Or a Bikes & B'fast Sunday morning meeting in Poolesville, Md - I've ridden it to a couple of them?

Norton rally, that was it!  MAN, it was hot that week .... !

[jumpmaster]

Norton rally, that was it!  MAN, it was hot that week .... !

Yep, but it was fun.  On the other hand, I re-herniated a lumbar disc at the end of that week after lifting stuff all week long I shouldn't have been lifting, & I still haven't fully recovered.  Luckily, I can still ride for an hour or 2 without discomfort most of the time, but longer than that becomes a problem.  No week or month-long tours this year, but hopefully next year I'll be fully back in the saddle. 

[nc43bsa]

With a front fork brace on it, mine handles well enough to keep up, with a little work, with all but the most suicidal of my Norton-riding friends on curvy roads even though it's considerably heavier than a Norton.

What brand of fork brace?

[Cdn850T5NT]

The International Norton Owners Rally in Buena Vista, Va in July, 2017?  I think I talked to you there for a few minutes.  Or a Bikes & B'fast Sunday morning meeting in Poolesville, Md - I've ridden it to a couple of them?

Not sure if the image will come through in this quote... but can you please confirm, is that the 40mm fork later model? 
https://ibb.co/19TVGYy
The brake rotors are different from the earlier one.  Wondering, as well, whether the fork tube spacing is wider, too, versus the earlier suspension for the MilleGT?

[kfz]

Not sure if the image will come through in this quote... but can you please confirm, is that the 40mm fork later model? 
https://ibb.co/19TVGYy
The brake rotors are different from the earlier one.  Wondering, as well, whether the fork tube spacing is wider, too, versus the earlier suspension for the MilleGT?

A fork brace is probably a good idea seeing as it  has the most flimsy front mudguard ever fitted to a bike.

[jumpmaster]

What brand of fork brace?

Tarozzi.  However, Mille GTs came in "Series 1" & "Series II" versions.  I think the "Series II" versions started appearing in late 1990 or later - I've never seen anything in print addressing this, but, then again, what I've seen in print from various sources has had lots of contradictions even in what they do address.  www.fastfromthepast .com has 1000GT fork braces listed, but only for 1992 models and another source listed the 1992s as having 40 mm fork tubes - I suspect but don't know for a fact that all the Milles imported to the US were 35 mm fork tube models, so that brace wouldn't fit.

I got my brace off of eBay a few years ago after looking for months.  I don't remember for sure, but I think it was listed as being off of a 1000 SP II, but it was cheap so I decided to take a chance that it would fit.  The fork tube size and the distance between forks is OK, but the fender interferes with mounting the brace 100% as designed.  I've made it work, however.

I found a company that will manufacture a brace to your specifications:  www.discovolantemot o.co.uk

[jumpmaster]

Not sure if the image will come through in this quote... but can you please confirm, is that the 40mm fork later model? 
https://ibb.co/19TVGYy
The brake rotors are different from the earlier one.  Wondering, as well, whether the fork tube spacing is wider, too, versus the earlier suspension for the MilleGT?

Nope, that's a Series I front fork with 35 mm fork tubes.  The brake rotors look the same as mine, although the photo angle makes it a little hard to be certain.  Mine is a 1990, about 90-95% Series I.  I did an inventory of what Series II parts mine has several years ago, but unfortunately I didn't write it down and I don't remember any of it now.  One of the endearing features of the Mille GT is that you have to be careful when ordering parts - some of the Series II parts won't work on a Series I & some parts suppliers don't always note that issue.  Mine was mfg. in late 1989 but sold as a 1990, & even at its mfg. date they were starting to use a few Series II parts.

I stand corrected on one thing, thanks to this thread.  I always read that spoke wheel front disc brake rotors for the Mille GT are hard/impossible to get.  However, I just noticed that the factory parts catalog lists the Series II front disc brake rotor part # the same for both spoke & alloy wheels (the Series I has different part #s for spoke vs. alloy wheels disc rotors).  So, if anyone out there has an alloy wheel-Mille, maybe finding replacement front rotors are not a problem for you -- IF you have a Series II front end.

[Testarossa]

I got my brace off of eBay a few years ago after looking for months.  I don't remember for sure, but I think it was listed as being off of a 1000 SP II, but it was cheap so I decided to take a chance that it would fit.  The fork tube size and the distance between forks is OK, but the fender interferes with mounting the brace 100% as designed.  I've made it work, however.

A number of years ago I put a Tarozzi fork brace on my 850T, and then took it off because it felt like the sliders were binding and the handling didn't improve noticeably (the T already has a pretty solid stainless steel bridge for the fender which works as a  fork brace if you make sure that the fender itself has no twist before mounting -- not always a given with a high-mileage bike). When I got the Mille I found that the T fork brace fit it but, as Jumpmaster notes, it doesn't work quite right around the plastic mudguard. Once again I had a sense that it made the sliders bind, and took it off.

Mounting the SP fairing required some fiddling. I used the triple tree from a T3 because it has the threaded nubbins used to mount the instrument pod on Ts and the fairing brackets on SPs. Had to change out the bars to get the hand position right. There's no way to replicate the Mille's metal-flake green-tinged black paint so the fairing isn't a great color match.

[jumpmaster]

Mounting the SP fairing required some fiddling. I used the triple tree from a T3 because it has the threaded nubbins used to mount the instrument pod on Ts and the fairing brackets on SPs. Had to change out the bars to get the hand position right.

You make another good point.  In looking at or buying a Guzzi, especially a loop frame or older Tonti, you can't assume that everything that looks stock actually is stock for that bike.  Guzzi owners seem to be very creative in mixing and matching parts from other Guzzis, not to mention assorted Japanese bikes, to make their Guzzis "better" - or at least cheaper to repair!

[Cdn850T5NT]

Nope, that's a Series I front fork with 35 mm fork tubes.  The brake rotors look the same as mine, although the photo angle makes it a little hard to be certain...

Thx.

Related to Mille GT's (which I've always considered to be good looking bikes) do folks generally know that a Mille GT front fender (for its 18"frt wheel) is actually the same fender as used on the 850 T5 and the SP II... both of which have 16" frt wheels. In a Parts Bin Special 'kinda mode Guzzi added the rear "flap" at a subtly different angle to make it work with the 18" wheel. Look closely at the image...

[nc43bsa]

Thx.

Related to Mille GT's (which I've always considered to be good looking bikes) do folks generally know that a Mille GT front fender (for its 18"frt wheel) is actually the same fender as used on the 850 T5 and the SP II... both of which have 16" frt wheels. In a Parts Bin Special 'kinda mode Guzzi added the rear "flap" at a subtly different angle to make it work with the 18" wheel. Look closely at the image...

I'll try to remember to make a note of that the next time my Mille is parked next to Denis' SP2.

[Cdn850T5NT]

Tarozzi.  However, Mille GTs came in "Series 1" & "Series II" versions.  I think the "Series II" versions started appearing in late 1990 or later - I've never seen anything in print addressing this, but, then again, what I've seen in print from various sources has had lots of contradictions even in what they do address.  www.fastfromthepast .com has 1000GT fork braces listed, but only for 1992 models and another source listed the 1992s as having 40 mm fork tubes - I suspect but don't know for a fact that all the Milles imported to the US were 35 mm fork tube models, so that brace wouldn't fit.

I got my brace off of eBay a few years ago after looking for months.  I don't remember for sure, but I think it was listed as being off of a 1000 SP II, but it was cheap so I decided to take a chance that it would fit.  The fork tube size and the distance between forks is OK, but the fender interferes with mounting the brace 100% as designed.  I've made it work, however.

I found a company that will manufacture a brace to your specifications:  www.discovolantemot o.co.uk

MilleGT... at least the early one - has 35mm forks.  SPII (and the 850T5) have 38mm forks (though the lower legs could be the same dia. as the MilleGT's lower fork legs... and thats where the fork brace mounts).  Also, the Series 3 T5 along with the SP II have an OEM forkbrace (not to say that it cannot be removed and a non OEM one be fitted).  In fact, the T5 (series 3) and the SPII have the same forks, dampers, etc.

[Groover]

The black Mille GTs have a similar elegance as the 70's Eldorados.