Why Do We Buy a Guzzi?

[DougG]

Why do we buy a Guzzi?  (And why does it own us?)

I have a theory, not a law, natural or otherwise…that’s different, just a theory.   Here’s how it goes:
You start off as a mere mortal…logical, inquiring mind, relatively healthy body, clear soul.  Then you see your first Guzzi ride by.  The mind says, “What the heck is that?”, the body says, “I wonder how that feels?”, the soul is still clear and uninterested. 
Then, you actually see one up close and personal (in a parking lot, dealership, friend’s house…wherever).  The mind begins to dull, the body says, “I want to know how that feels”, the soul is still clear.   
Then you sit on one.  The mind is now completely out of the loop, the body says, “Yes!” and the soul is now awakened.

Then you ride one… (I refer to this as stage four, or terminal Guzzi-ism).  The mind has long since left the building, the body is fully engaged, and the soul is captured…the look, the feel, the sensation.

That night and several thereafter, you have subliminal dreams, long forgotten endorphins begin flowing and the next thing you know you’re looking at your bank account, credit rating, investments, space in the garage…the kid’s inheritance.   
OK, we all know what happens next…

So here’s my theory;  it’s not mind control, not body control…it’s soul control!  Sure, they have engineers who design the bikes, assemblers who make them, test riders who do their thing, but the real money makers at Guzzi are the “soul controllers.” 
They have us by the soul…we are powerless to resist.

Be well,
DougG
P.S.  They got mine, for sure. 

[guzzisteve]

I used to work in more than a few Guzzi/BMW shops. My boss's used to have me tell the customers why I rode a Guzzi. It's like this " Do you want a 1/4 of a V8 or a 1/2 a Volkswagen" The Guzzi motor reacts to tuning exactly like a V8. It just makes sense for a gearhead to ride one.

[johnwesley]

I get asked from time to time why I ride these old Guzzis when I’ve got newer, more modern bikes sitting in the shop.

Logically, it’s a fair question.

They aren’t fast.
They’re not the most comfortable.
Fuel mileage isn’t great.
Handling isn’t class-leading.

I rode my ’03 all the way out to the Washington National MGNOC in ’24 and it did just fine—but nobody would confuse it with the “best” tool for the job.

They’re also affordable. Cheap on the used market, really. Parts are available, and they’re easy to work on. No black magic. No laptop required. If you’re willing to turn a wrench, they’ll meet you halfway.

So why ride one?

My honest answer is usually, “I don’t know. I just like them.”

The more I think about it, the more I realize it isn’t one thing—it’s all the little things people complain about. The light, almost loose feeling. The motor talking to you with its ticks and pulses. That exhaust note that makes me smile every time. The way it kicks sideways when you hit the starter or blip the throttle at a stop.

Even the weird stuff—the heel-toe shifter, the brake pedal with the heel knob. The things that make it imperfect to most folks are exactly what draw me in. If you smoothed all that out and fixed everything people don’t like, I’m not sure I’d like the bike anymore.

There’s no single feature that makes an old Guzzi special. It’s the sum of the imperfections that makes it fun. Endearing, even.

My dad probably said it best:
If you’ve got something that puts a smile on your face, you should keep it—because that’s valuable, and hard to find.

[Tkelly]

Years ago Gordon from MG Cycle told me that they were organic,makes sense to me.The fellowship of owners and rallies are icing on a great cake.

[Bulldog9]

There are probably a thousand other reasons, but speaking intellectually,

For me, a Moto Guzzi is an air-cooled shaft Drive motorcycle.

That's what I wrote exclusively for years with my Yamaha XS 1100 and 750 motorcycles. From 2000 to 2015 I was stuck on water cooled in line four Japanese motorcycles like the zg1000, fz1, and fjr 1300. All great, But they were so refined they felt like appliances. Not wanting to deal with a Harley or BMW, I really thought I was stuck with water cooled bikes for the rest of my riding life. Even though the fjr was a brilliant powerful beast of a motorcycle, it did nothing for me and after 8 years and 60,000 MI I just had no desire to ride it. While I did spend nine out of the 12 months of 2015 in Afghanistan, when I came back I only Rode 500 mi the rest of the year. I really thought I was finished riding and that I had grown older and had changed.

Then in 2015 with a visit to Moto International, Dave Richardson introduced me to the GRiSO 1100 and my passion for riding was reinvigorated in less than 500 ft. For me there is something honest and real about a Guzzi..... That's why I buy the them, ride them and love them.

[Oca Grassa]

Maybe I’m just different….I ride a Guzzi because I wanted a shaft drive bike for the winter. I didn’t want a BMW. Yamahas don’t move me to buy them…and frankly neither do Hondas. Cruisers do zero for me either. That doesn’t leave a whole lot to look at.

My tastes lean heavily towards Italian bikes. There were 3 Ducatis and an Aprilia in my garage when I brought home my Norge. Not gonna lie; I’ve always admired the Moto Guzzi Sport 1100i and Daytonas.

I find the Norge comfortable. Very comfortable. The heated grips are a game changer along with shaft drive that to me, make it the perfect winter commute bike. That I can also tour on it is a bonus in my mind.

I ride a Guzzi because the Norge is practical, comfortable and does what I want it to do. Not for any other reason.

[cliffrod]

I used to work in more than a few Guzzi/BMW shops. My boss's used to have me tell the customers why I rode a Guzzi. It's like this " Do you want a 1/4 of a V8 or a 1/2 a Volkswagen" The Guzzi motor reacts to tuning exactly like a V8. It just makes sense for a gearhead to ride one.

The V8 correlation was a big part of my early transition into Moto Guzzi and it remains relevant.  Bevel Ducatis require a certain unique set of skills, knowledge and tools. Japanese bikes have a range of their own “building a better mousetrap” specifics.  Older HD are very simple but they’re not a V8 car platform.    After years of doing cars, my V7 Sport required very little new thinking compared to other motorcycles.  Since then, nothing has rivaled my Guzzi.

Now I just like them, at least the old round head bikes.  Everything after that becomes increasingly foreign to me.  Never got into the outlier “something no one else has” mindset that many tangent to the marque seem to enjoy & cultivate. Too many of those self-identified aficionados are happy to poo-poo on my imperfect bikes that should be brought up to their standards.  Life is too short for that stuff. 

An old Guzzi is a great machine. 

[Stretch]

"It’s the sum of the imperfections that makes it fun. Endearing, even.

My dad probably said it best:
If you’ve got something that puts a smile on your face, you should keep it—because that’s valuable, and hard to find."

You're dad is a wise man!

Imperfections are what make us unique, and what make us human.
For instance, let's say AI can generate a "perfect" musical tone. It can
play music - composed by humans - pretty well. But what would you rather listen
to: soulless AI-generated crap, or old Louis Armstrong and Rafael Mendez records?

That's kinda the way older bikes are. Are they "perfect?" Or are they something
you want to ride? Do you want slick quick shifting with no vibration from the machine?
Or do ya want the intellectual AND visceral satisfaction of operating the brakes, throttle,
and gearbox beautifully yourself through that set of bends?

                                                                -Stretch

                                                               

[kingoffleece]

A Guzzi requires a certain amount of involvement from the rider.  One doesn't 'Ride" the motorcycle, one needs to partner with it.
SO many motorcycles are like an appliance.  They do whatever the riders commands.  A Guzzi, when the rider partners with it, will gracefully work with the rider.
Sort of like a great dance partner.  A Guzzi reminds you that THIS gear is proper now.  THIS is where I (the bike) wants the rpm's.

It's exactly what some new owners do not understand when they first get a Guzzi.  We see it here often. "My bike shudders (or some such thing) at 3K in top gear.  What's wrong?"  Nothing.  Listen to the bike and ride it like it wants to be ridden.

[blu guzz]

All of the above and I really love parking it next to a line of Harleys at the local hang out. 

[TN Mark]

I blindly fell in love with the Moto Guzzi brand in the in the Summer of 1978. I needed transportation.
My grandfather recently bought a 1977 Moto Guzzi Convert with an Vetter fairing and I bought it from him.
I knew next to nothing of the brand but was reading several monthly motorcycle magazines each month. Rarely was the Moto Guzzi brand mentioned, let alone featured.
I was 17 years old and absolutely loving that Convert. For about the next 35 years, I rode 9 other Moto Guzzis as well.

I never test rode a single Guzzi. I just did my best to love on them because for me, the brand was my first love.
Plus, I hate group think and/or herd mentality. For me, the Guzzi is a brand is for an individual. It’s different by design, which I also love.

I was without a Moto Guzzi for about 10 years while I greatly enjoyed another non herd brand, Victory Motorcycles. Now, I have my greatly enhanced 2013 Victory Hard-Ball and my new to me 1,600 mile 2016 Eldorado. IMHO, the two best V-Twin motorcycles ever produced.

I bought my first Victory just as the 1400 line came out. It was absolutely the right decision. Once I saw the Eldorado version, I knew I’d have one some day. To me, the Eldorado is the pinnacle of the 1400 line. It’s the only Guzzi I ever even considered in that 10 year absence from the Moto Guzzi brand.

And, yes, I’m doing what I can to greatly enhance my Eldorado, Bella.

[SIR REAL ED]

I suspect that some of the Moto Guzzi appeal is the engine vibration frequency. 

Similar to the purring of a cat, some frequencies are naturally soothing.

Not all that different for Harley riders.

[Perazzimx14]

I bought my 1st strictly based on price. In 2011 a local dealer had two (2) leftover 2008 Griso 1100's they had listed on eBay. I made an offer they accepted and I had my 1st Guzzi. Up until that point I'd never even seen a Guzzi in the flesh. In the next few years I ended up buying about a dozen more then as quickly as my fascination began it ended and in 2019 sold off the last two. My motorcycling wants, needs and desires have changed and currently  Guzzi doesn't make anything that checks enough of the boxes for me to entertain another. Maybe someday, maybe not.

[BIF]

I came from the sports car world, and early in life got connected with Italian engineering and design and became very comfortable with it. Due to that I have Italian cars and firearms so having Italian bikes was almost natural. With the cars I have owned everything from 2 cylinder Fiats to 12 cylinder Ferrari's, but I enjoy 1960's to 1980's Alfa Romeo's the best. Not the cheapest or the most expensive, not the most powerful or the least, not the best or worst in any category, but really the best all around and the most fun. And if a Ducati equals a Ferrari than the equivalent to an Alfa Romeo is a Moto Guzzi.

[MacL]

Because a new 850 Norton in 1974 left me stranded all over western North America. My dealer had an 1975 850 T in stock and an 850T is all I've ridden to this day and find no need to change.

[TN Mark]

Because a new 850 Norton in 1974 left me stranded all over western North America. My dealer had an 1975 850 T in stock and an 850T is all I've ridden to this day and find no need to change.

You sir, have won the motorcycle lottery. Well done, well done indeed.

[LowRyter]

Why do we buy a Guzzi?  (And why does it own us?)

I have a theory, not a law, natural or otherwise…that’s different, just a theory.   Here’s how it goes:
You start off as a mere mortal…logical, inquiring mind, relatively healthy body, clear soul.  Then you see your first Guzzi ride by.  The mind says, “What the heck is that?”, the body says, “I wonder how that feels?”, the soul is still clear and uninterested. 
Then, you actually see one up close and personal (in a parking lot, dealership, friend’s house…wherever).  The mind begins to dull, the body says, “I want to know how that feels”, the soul is still clear.   
Then you sit on one.  The mind is now completely out of the loop, the body says, “Yes!” and the soul is now awakened.

Then you ride one… (I refer to this as stage four, or terminal Guzzi-ism).  The mind has long since left the building, the body is fully engaged, and the soul is captured…the look, the feel, the sensation.

That night and several thereafter, you have subliminal dreams, long forgotten endorphins begin flowing and the next thing you know you’re looking at your bank account, credit rating, investments, space in the garage…the kid’s inheritance.   
OK, we all know what happens next…

So here’s my theory;  it’s not mind control, not body control…it’s soul control!  Sure, they have engineers who design the bikes, assemblers who make them, test riders who do their thing, but the real money makers at Guzzi are the “soul controllers.” 
They have us by the soul…we are powerless to resist.

Be well,
DougG
P.S.  They got mine, for sure.

Stockholm Syndrome?

[faffi]

I think the only valid reasons to buy any motorcycle are the ones each of us have, and what others think really should not matter. Personally, I lacked emotional reasons to pick the Roamer - it was the bike that best suited my needs for the price I was prepared to pay.

[MikeP996]

I have no particular affinity for Italian machinery though I owned three successive Ducatis (851, 916, 996) some years ago.  I bought a Guzzi last year simply because I had never owned (or even sat on one).   I decided I should try one (as I did a Harley Wide Glide for the same reason) and just sell it soon after if I didn't like it (as I did with the Harley a few months after buying it).  BUT I really like the 850 V7 Special and it's now the favorite of my motorcycles - the most fun to ride on the twisty back roads we enjoy!  TBF, my '76 Honda CB400F is a very close 2nd favorite!!  As the old saying goes, "opposites attract!" and the two are truly opposites!!   

[Tkelly]

We miss our red Honda 400 ,but the last 4 Guzzis make up for it.

[kingoffleece]

To each their own.  I can't imagine ever owning a motorcycle that didn't fill me with emotion.  Why have it if it doesn't?  That's rhetorical-I understand why.

[faffi]

To each their own.  I can't imagine ever owning a motorcycle that didn't fill me with emotion.  Why have it if it doesn't?  That's rhetorical-I understand why.

That a bike perform the way I like will, at least to me, invoke good emotions. As would good looks, ease of maintenance, reliability. So perhaps my choice of wording was not precise enough - what I meant was that functionality - in the broadest sense of the word - is the most important aspect to me when buying a motorcycle. And if the thing does not annoy me, it will give pleasing emotions.

[Perazzimx14]

To each their own.  I can't imagine ever owning a motorcycle that didn't fill me with emotion.  Why have it if it doesn't?  That's rhetorical-I understand why.

I used to think I felt this way but the older I have gotten I realized I do not emotionally attach to inanimate objects and really do not care about or get sentimental about them. I have had some amazing motorcycling experiences but they were not related to the bike I was riding, it was the group of friends I was riding with or the time alone to think, see and enjoy.

[kingoffleece]

I get it.  100%.  We're all different.  My experience is 180 degrees away.  Younger me-the bike was a tool.  Didn't matter as long as the job was done without issues.
Now, I'm still for not having issues, but the bike matters to the degree that every other brand I had was sold and only Guzzi motorcycles were left.

[Moparnut72]

Maybe not necessarily the brand but the configuration. I do all my own work and I was dreading valve adjustment on my Triumph and V100. Also the V100 too much high tech for me to use comfortably let alone need. One of the main reasons I went to a V7 850. I loved my V7lll but the 850 seemed to me to be more suited to my needs especially cruise control due to my messed up right hand. Air cooled and valves can be done in under an hour including a beer break.
kk

[faffi]

I used to dread valve adjustments myself on many bikes, especially with shim-under-bucket systems like found on my KZ650 and CB400SF. However, I have learned that valves rarely need adjusting these days. Engines like the Honda 52-dgree V-twins (500, 600, 650 and 750s) will typically go well beyond 50k miles without requiring adjustment. My son's MT-07 is scheduled for checking the clearances every 26k miles, but you can usually just forget them "forever". Checking them, not to mention adjusting them, is a massiv PITA, however, being buried deep inside the chassis and also featuring shim-under-buckets.

On my V9, closing in on 12k miles, I have yet to check the valve clearances. I will do so this spring before I put it up for sale, otherwise I would not have bothered as there is no sign of them being off. The engine is still on the original spark plugs, which have never been out. Will be interesting to see what the valve clearances actually are, and how the spark plugs fare - they will be replaced anyway, but I see no reason why they should not last 25k.

Easiest bike ever, in my experience, to set the valve clearances on was my CX500, which make the V9 procedure seem very elaborate in comparison. Better still would be bikes like the Honda Nighthawk 700 and Shadow 700, to name just a couple that have hydraulig valve lifters that never need attention.

[johnwesley]

I have a Guzzi who’s valves haven’t been checked in over 70,000 mile. It just keeps going without adjustment. Who knows how far it will go.   

[MikeP996]

The most important thing for me is the motorcycle has to "catch my eye."  I don't care how "good" a motorcycle is function-wise, if I don't find myself standing back and thinking, "that's a good-looking bike," I'm not interested.  Obviously we all have a different idea of "attractive," but the "look" of my blue '21 V7 Special was the reason I actually decided to buy a Moto Guzzi.  THEN, it turned out that I found for me that it was a great motorcycle. 

[blackcat]

Why? Great looking and performing motorcycles.

[JJ]

Why? Great looking and performing motorcycles.

Perfect example exhibited in this photo! (Thanks, blackcat!)

WHY? 

* They are different...
* They are quirky...
* They look good...sound great...handle well...and are very reliable!!
* They have a dedicated and fiercely loyal fan base...
* Best of all...they are ITALIAN! [/i]