Norge?

I had one for a days test ride several years ago. It was a nicely balanced bike with the lovely Guzzi engine, it was comfortable, handled well. It had an electrically adjustable windscreen, and I thought would have made a great long distance tourer. I almost bought it, but got a Stelvio instead.
 
Never owned one 'yet', but ridden a few and liked them although the are a heavy beast, around 260lbs I think. Whilst the Griso is almost as nice in 1100 format as 1200, I think the Norge and it's extra weight benefit from the added horses of the 12008V. If you're on the lookout don't forget the 'flat tappet' problem. On the Norge they where changed to rollers after April 2012. The 1200 Norge had the AA engine and where changed after engine number 12214. Now get back in that workshop:green gri
 
My local Guzzi dealer had a couple of Norge's in as PX,

I was very tempted - it was my out of love phase with the lemon

The 4V ? one was gone in days - the 8V ? was on the floor for ages -

They couldn't tell if it was rollerised (main dealer go figure) :nenau and that put a lot of people off

Price wise it was around the 4k mark.

I did some research on the owners forums

I think the main thing with these is service history - and MG will contribute toward a repair if it has tappet / cam wear (parts but not labour) if it has full MD service history

Electrics can be a bit flakey too - digi dash can have a few dummy throwing problems.
 
My local Guzzi dealer had a couple of Norge's in as PX,




They couldn't tell if it was rollerised (main dealer go figure) :nenau and that put a lot of people off

Very easy to tell, just whip one of the valve covers off, takes 5minutes. I've looked at a few 12008v, where either the owner or dealer was not prepared to have a look. I wouldn't feel confident buying a flat tappet 8V.
 
My local Guzzi dealer had a couple of Norge's in as PX,

I was very tempted - it was my out of love phase with the lemon

The 4V ? one was gone in days - the 8V ? was on the floor for ages -

They couldn't tell if it was rollerised (main dealer go figure) :nenau and that put a lot of people off

Price wise it was around the 4k mark.

I did some research on the owners forums

I think the main thing with these is service history - and MG will contribute toward a repair if it has tappet / cam wear (parts but not labour) if it has full MD service history

Electrics can be a bit flakey too - digi dash can have a few dummy throwing problems.

it doesn't have to have M.D. history , but it can't be done by owner in their garage , book has to have stamps ... on time or mileage , whichever comes first.

this is how it goes ...in my experience ( based in London )

Griso less than 6k miles , mainly used inside the M25

1200Sport 6-10K miles half and half use inside and outside M25

Stelvio 10k miles plus outsiide M25 long trips usually

Norge 10k miles plus outside M25

its a mix of problems ,

oil cooling for exhaust valves can stress the oil , hence bigger coolers on later bikes,

lack of pressure/flow over cams/followers ,

ratio between camfollower and pivot and pivot to valve wrong ,

in-town use makes all this worse

Both BMW and HD had the same problems , BMW dealt with it pre-production , HD changed the mapping and added some restrictors to the oil system ....MG said ... oh?

i know this because all 3 companies had Ricardo do a study/report , i got to speak to one of their engineers who wrote the results.

i have seen 2 bikes hit 50k before they failed , and flat tappets WILL fail.
 
I saw a couple and was quite keen on them. Traditional tourers get a bad rep nowadays but bikes like this and the K1300GT are among my favourite (except for the weight) - genuinely all day comfortable, 17” front wheel so effortless Sterling and more sensible seat height compared to adventure bikes. The only issue I came across was a slightly odd riding position - bolt upright but with your legs in quite a sporty tuck. My first mod would be dropping the pegs 2”. Not as sophisticated as other brands by very characterful and certainly enough power for everyday riding (but as wrinklyowlie said it’s heavy so really benefits from the 8v engine). Luggage is colour-matched (Givi I think?) and not cheap so worth getting a bike with panniers at least if you need luggage.
 
Lots of useful information here TY, but I'm a little confused about the tappet issue.
My local Suzuki dealer has a 2015 Norge that says 8v on the side. Would this be one that has been sorted or one that needs sorting?
Full service history at Twiggers (?) and panniers and top box.
37,000 miles showing on the clock and it's in reasonable order.
He's offered me a very generous trade in for my slightly tatty 400 Burgman against it which makes it a relatively cheap swap. The idea would be to use the Norge the way I do the Burger, as my daily ride, commuter, shopping bike and winter hack.
The dealer did tell me it needs a very minor service every 3,150 miles though which us quite off putting.
 
they need servicing every 6k miles .
alt belts @ 30k , although i now do them at 42k , cos i haven't had one fail ....yet.
easy check for rollers , remove plugs , rocker covers , have a look .
winter hack ? check oil pipes for corrosion , some have rusted through....
doubt the history ? ring up and talk to Mark at Twiggers , ( as honest as the day is long)
Panniers are shit. wierd shape , pack everything in seperate plastic bags , just to be sure.
 
Great, TY. I have no reason to doubt the history as I know and trust the dealer.
It's a one owner bike who traded it in for something lighter as he's now 75.
 
Riding position is individual I know but thought I would state my experience as a tall lanky rider at 6Ft 2in tall and 33inch inside leg. I found the Norge cramped on a half day test ride a few years back with the stepped seat holding me too close to the bars, the knees did not sit under the scalloped part of the tank, the foot pegs were too high causing too tight a knee bend and the bars were too narrow causing the shoulders to sit unaturally. Ride one before you buy, but not being my height you may well be ok in the comfort stakes.

Regarding the cam wear issue the factory fitted the rollers to the tappet surface from mid 2012 production, but check the build date on the bike. Prior to this some bikes will have been modified and you will need to remove the cam cover to check.

Model - Engine Designation - Last 5 Digits of Serial Number - Date of Production

Stelvio - AC - After AC12596 - 03/12/2012
Griso - A8 - After 13524 - 04/12/2012
Norge - AA - After 12214 - 04/18/2012

Useful link:

https://www.guzzitech.com/forums/th...-tappet-failure-but-were-afraid-to-ask.17282/
 
5"7 I took a test ride. Loved the engine, but found it cramped compared to my GS, and an RT I test rode.
 


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