Moto Guzzi's - are the 'older' ones OK to own?

[Kenny]

Bit like asking how long is a piece of string but I've never owned a Guzzi - tend to hear negatives more than positives but I believe ( like Airhead Beemers ) that this is just the fashion on www to knock bikes rather than praise them?

 

[Aidan1150]

My best mate has two '73 Guzzi's Kenny which seem to need an odd bit of fettling alright, but nothing serious. From what I read here that makes them no better nor worse than old airheads, it's just a matter of some mechanical sympathy and spannering ability.

Of course it all depends on what you start off with I suppose.

 

[Kenny]

A bike fettled by Rob or Cookie would be a good start ( Did I just pay them a compliment?)

 

[Ash]

i loved my years on a guzzi.
always carried spare cables,plugs and bulbs etc
they are esay to look after and easy to botch/effect a roadside repair should the need arise.
i will own another one day.
on the subject of cables.
had a bespoke set made by-
http://uk.wrs.yahoo.com/_ylt=A1f4cf...261527576/**http://www.venhill.co.uk/About_us.
and that sorted it.

 

[Ash]

i loved my years on a guzzi.
always carried spare cables,plugs and bulbs etc
they are esay to look after and easy to botch/effect a roadside repair should the need arise.
i will own another one day.
on the subject of cables.
had a bespoke set made by-
http://uk.wrs.yahoo.com/_ylt=A1f4cf...261527576/**http://www.venhill.co.uk/About_us.
and that sorted it.

i was normal [no broken bits]and slim in 2002
on right at Moto Guzzi Mecca
my old sp111
notice the map taped on fuel take, no sat in them days.

 

[ahutcheon]

I had a mid-seventies convert in the mid-nineties. Easy to fix by the side of the road (usually), but I always traveled prepared to do so (and enjoyed a few opportunities to be glad of my foresight).

Beyond reliability (what do you expect of a twenty year old bike bodged by a string of previous owners?), it had bags of character, handled far better than any overweight antique with dodgy shocks and footboards ought to on antique Avon tyres. Regularly put a smile on my face, but after a couple of years I was seduced by the lure of something practical and modern.

If you're looking as far back as those round-barrel beauties you should expect a learning curve, involvement and regular attention to stay ahead of things, and to improve some of the original design features (an electrically operated reserve tap on an Italian bike??? fortunately lots of parts interchange so it was easy to replace with something more normal...)

Great bike, but not as a sole means of transport or if you lack a sense of humour. Don't know much about more recent stuff.

 

[cookie]

i'd much rather have an old one (seventies models are the pick IMO), than most of the later ones.

electrics are much the same as bmw airheads, but the switchgear is much worse. plenty of original switches are still going though

UJs are a relatively common failure, but nothing to worry about, c £150 to replace last time i did one, so cheaper than a para driveshaft.

chrome often comes of the bore, but again, many just keep going. unfortunately, doing a compression test is not guaranteed to show any existing problem.

T3s are nice, but getting quite pricey. T3 cali's always been pricey, and later models not nearly so cool. Spadas are nice if you want a fairing.

le mans are nice, but not terribly practical. high prices for early models, which is nice for me

you'd need to be slightly deranged to buy a Convert, and i'm not selling mine anyway

V7 Sports are terribly desirable, but stratospheric prices.

V7 "loopframe" cruisers v. cool, but handle like a cow on roller skates and have no brakes. high prices since i sold mine

of the newer models, i only really fancy the Griso. i rode Outtomunch's earlier this year and was impressed. slightly weird hinged in the middle sensation in slow corners, but just another bit of guzzi eccentricity and to be encouraged.

are guzzi the citroen of the bike world? nice thought IMO

 

[Blind Lemon Ade]

I had a V50 Monza from new, back in the day... commuted round Saaf Lunnon on it for several years. The linked rear brake tended to wear out the front pads quite quickly (but that could've just been me?), the carbs filled up with shite in the bad weather, and when I traded it in, it had a leaky final drive oil seal, and a worn tappet. Couldn't do it now, my back wouldn't take the riding position...

 

[2 wheel humvee]

I never tire of seeing that pic,it's been a while thanks Cookie

 

[Keith Chapman]

I had a great 21 years riding Guzzis, regret selling my T3 Cali. Always enjoyed tinkering and fettling, it is something that you dont seem to do with the newer bikes.

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

I dont know much about air heads but I'm guessing they are similar to same era Guzzi's.

ie Essentialy solid, reliable and understressed but with known 'foibles'. Keep on top of the 'foibles', a bit of TLC and they should still make a practicle bike for today.

I am biased, I know, but I love them; like a WBM but with soul

Andres

 

[Ogmios]

I dont know much about air heads but I'm guessing they are similar to same era Guzzi's.

ie Essentialy solid, reliable and understressed but with known 'foibles'. Keep on top of the 'foibles', a bit of TLC and they should still make a practicle bike for today.

I am biased, I know, but I love them; like a WBM but with soul

Andres

a good summing up

mines a 1990 Cali with ridiculous fairing .
last of the carbed, and best of the elder crop of Guzzis.(this opinion subject to contradiction ).
i really had to be as 'sensible' as possible and buy with my wallet and brain leading / not my heart as finances will never be really very good.
So,
i picked very carefully;
spares - available and cheap. yes.
easy to fix. oh yes.
reliable and practical. suprisingly. YES.
it has toured, hoored, commuted and even been used for Training.
you can get the undivided attention of a sports bike rider if you ride 'assertively' over the Dublin mountains - basically they say "how the F*ck did you do that?! - now show me how to!"

lookit;
it's Italian, so it's a given that it will handle. it's got Brembo brakes - so it will stop.
as for going 'fast'......
after a while, you get to grips with them and just...
find you dont need to slow down as often.

 

[pint7x]

I recently tried a 1200 Sport - although called "Sport" the riding position is reasonably upright, not like the old Le Mans.

Anyway, the engine was a bit tight but it only had 1200 miles on the clock, so plenty more needed to loosen up. Other than that it was really really nice. I will own one some day.

I spoke with a mechanic at a dealership who told me that the Guzzis of the late 90's and early noughties suffered due to quality control going down the pan a bit, but since about 2002, they're supposed to be much better 'cos Aprilia took control, then Piaggio bought everything, or something like that.

The 1200 Sport is about 9k new, but I've seen 2 year old ones for half that.