What brought you to Moto Guzzi?

wrinkleyowlie

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I had a quick look, but don't think this has been asked before.

So,what drew you into Guzzi ownership?

Personally I'd always liked the look of Guzzi's and almost bought a V50 in the late 70's but plumped for a CX500 instead (stupid boy). Fast forward to 2014 about 90 bikes later and I had just had enough of my new 2014 WC GS 1200. I won't go into details, but it was awful.
My mate had an Triumph Explorer which I'd ridden a couple of times and quite liked it. Off I went for a test ride and very nearly bought it, but a thought popped in my head that, I really like the look of the Stelvio so off I went for a test on that. I was given the keys at 9.30 and told 'the shop closes at 5'. 20 minutes into the ride I'm thinking 'this isn't for me' but decided I'd give it at least an hour.
Several hours later and well over 200mls my love affair with Moto Guzzi had begun. I bought the bike as soon as I returned. I've had a few dalliance's with other bikes since then, including another GS, but several Guzzi's later I just can't seem to see past them now
I'd find it difficult to pinpoint the appeal, for me they are just so cathartic to own and ride.
 
Early 20's & most of my mates had Brit bikes and a few Jap stuff or HD.

I really wanted a Brit bike but wasn't prepared to put up with the constant TLC needed to keep them running sweet.

Ciao Moto Guzzi, a 'Guzzi Overland' special; blue printed 1000cc T3, LeMans Heads & carbs, P3 cam, lightened flywheel (or was it crank?), timing gears and Dr John 2 into 1. It handled well, went VERY well, had character in spades and went all over Europe with no more than normal servicing needed.......

I've now owned a few Tonti Guzzis (still my fave) and a 1100 Griso (lovely bike, a right hoot) and my current Guzzi, a T3 Cali with personal history that goes back to my teens. My Cali is the only bike I have ever declared as a keeper. I'll never sell it.

Andres
 
Back in 78 I went with my mate to trade his Bonneville special on an ice blue Le Mans (mk1) to Wymondham, I was absolutely smitten with the thing
We are both still riding Guzzi's 40 years later.
 
Great stories gents. Here’s mine.

As a lad in my teens I had this poster on my wall (Bottom pic, Doh!). I was smitten with the model, whose name was Katrien.

Scroll forward a few decades, I came across the same picture whilst surfing the net, I clicked on it and kept following the links, and bang, I’m in love all over again.

But this time, me, being a boring old fart, had fallen in love, not with the lovely Katrien, but with the bike. This was the start of a 3 year obsession (yes that’s the correct word) with Guzzis and my quest to build my own Guzzi cafe.

The back story to the poster is that a guy called Ben Part was the photographer and also the owner of the Guzzi in the pic. Katrien was his friend at the time. The picture, used in an advertising campaign by Davida, is iconic in Guzzi circles.

Ben’s old Le Mans had been through the wars and he’d fixed it up as a cafe racer, which was quite unusual at a time when cafe racers were predominantly Brit bikes.

One of the bike’s quirks was having Zagato badges on the tank, which is where I got the idea for doing these on my own bike as an acknowledgement to Ben’s original.

Old Guzzis definitely get under your skin unlike any other marque I know of.


:beerjug:
 

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A test ride on a MK1 Le Mans in the late 70s.

Hopefully, later on in the year, I'll be in the market for a good 850T3.
 
I bought my first Guzzi in 1981, a 1979 V50ii from Jack Lilley, (then of Shepperton). That was followed by a T3 California. 1987 I got the first Mille GT in the country, again from Jack Lilley. I kept that till 2002. Guzzi were not building the bike I wanted. The quota was too tall and nothing else really ticked the boxes. So my journey with BMW began first an R1150GS had that for 12 years and 120k miles. That was followed by a F800GS until 2020. By this time the V85TT had been out for a while, long enough to iron out must bugs. So I took the plunge back into Guzzi ownership.

I have never really not owned a Guzzi, once in the blood they stay there. And for the last six years or so I have had a pile of bits that used to be a 1000S that may one day be rebuilt, or if the right offer comes along, I will move it on.

I have been in the Guzzi Club GB all this time, putting the BMW's in the 'naughty corner' at various Guzzi rallies.
 
.................

One of the bike’s quirks was having Zagato badges on the tank, which is where I got the idea for doing these on my own bike as an acknowledgement to Ben’s original.

..........................

Ah, I'd never made the connection :blast Ben's Zegato is one of my all time fave Guzzis (along with the iconic Davida ad :green gri) ~ your bike's not bad either ;)

Andres
 
Ah Yes, the Davida campaign which caused me to look twice at the poster, or severval times actually, I guess the intended purpose as it got me asking about the helmets. The back street Suzuki dealer, a crochety old fella let me borrow his bike for a few days while my quite new GS850 was in yet again for electrical issues under warranty. That loaner was a Guzzi 850 T4 from memory, which he had taken in part exchange the previous year. The owner got it as payment for building work in done in Spain, but had no real interest in it as he wanted a Katana so part exchanged it.

I found it lighter, more characterful and pleasurable to ride than the Suzuki and got me thinking that Guzzi could well be a replacement for the Jap bike earlier than I had planned the following year. So I got in with a couple of guys in the town who serviced them to learn more about Guzzi as it was a brand I had barely given consideration. I ended up with a customers' bike which had been dropped and the owner lost confidence and moved it on. They repaired it and I borrowed it for a while as it was going to be their loaner, but bought it as the price was right and I wanted shaft drive, could not afford a BMW and did not want another Jap bike. That was a Califronia II with only 7,000 miles on it and I commuted 60 miles a day for about 4 years with relatively few problems really plus a few continental trips. A mate wanted it even with about 70K on it when dealers were not interested although it was tidy the mileage put them off. Needed to move it on quickly as Carnells Doncaster were clearing new BMW bikes as the franchise was struggling, were about to lose the franchise or something, don't remember exactly, but got a new R80 mono for £4250 as I recall. I think the "stack em high sell em cheap" philosophy from the Jap bike side did not work on BMW so things went wrong,

Years later and several BMWs later, took a test ride on a Stelvio and loved it, but at the time there was limited stock so I bought the actual bike I rode as a demo which had only done 1500 miles or so. I was fortunately able to keep the R1100GS, again dealers were not interested due to mileage, they felt 80k was high for a 10 year old bike I had owned from new.

Got another Stelvio two years later as the dealer made it worth my while with a great part exchange offer, so ended up doing around 45k on those two bikes. Since then often felt there was a gap in the Guzzi range until the V85TT came along and instantly felt I just had to test ride one. Did that 3 times and covered 250miles but was then smitten and the deal was done.

You might say the V85 is the bike I have been waiting for, we shall see after a few thousand miles, but have the feeling I won't be disappointed.
 
Great stories folks, keep em coming. I've got a big empty space on my workshop wall. I think a certain poster would fill it nicely :green gri
 
.................I've got a big empty space on my workshop wall. I think a certain poster would fill it nicely :green gri

:thumb2

<a href="https://andressotoscastello.smugmug.com/UkGSer/n-5CFLKf/i-BkV8LCb/A"><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-BkV8LCb/0/190520f0/XL/i-BkV8LCb-XL.jpg" alt=""></a>

Andres
 
Scratching the Italian itch...

My first bikes were all Japanese - c70, RD200, 250 Superdream, cx500 - but I wanted something a bit less mainstream, something like a Rickman Kawasaki or a Phil Read Rep. Early summer of '82 I was in my final year at Leeds Uni. when the boyfriend of one of the girls on the course turned up on a black and gold Ducati 900ss. I think my jaw may have actually dropped. Hadn't met the fella before but he could see I was smitten and, God almighty, he offered to let me have a spin... This gorgeous piece of immaculate italian exotica, his passion, which had cost him a years wages - and he let me, a complete stranger, have a go on it. Chris Shaw (RIP), what a man. And what a bike. No tick over so I had to sit and gently blip the throttle at the lights, which felt great but only hinted at the music to come. A ridiculously heavy clutch and an impractical riding position it felt horrible in town - but once out onto the sweeping roads of the Yorkshire countryside it all came together. The rock hard suspension started to work, the bike felt rock steady tipped into a bend at speed, a new experience for me. It went like stink. A relaxed midrange rush with a glorious wall of noise wailing out behind. Brakes with power AND feel, blimey! I got back an hour later with backache and a big grin. That ride catapulted me into a whole new world, that of Italian bikes. The Japanese stuff now looked so mundane by comparison, even that Rickman. I spent years lusting after the SS, Jota and LeMans. In the real world I kept an eye out for a decent Pantah, Monjuich or V50. Any one would have done, but the Pantah came up first and it was Ducati thereafter with occasional forays into trail bikes and airhead BMWs. Still got that Pantah and I finally bought a bevel SS about 20 years after that first ride. But I've always harboured a soft spot for Guzzi. Looked at buying a T3 a decade ago but an r75/6 came up first... My best mate from my time at Leeds, now in Italy, has the Guzzi bug, currently owns a 650NTX and an (orange!) T3. I've ridden a few of his bikes over the years. I'm done with modern Ducatis, not really interested in the 'lifestyle' nor anything built in the last ten years or so. Had a 1200 Multistrada, fantastic bike but I didn't really gel with it. I did however sit up and take notice when Guzzi released the V85tt - an aircooled 850 antidote to the overkill of the Multi. Ok, it's not a LeMans, but I've got the SS for that particular itch. Picking one up next month, meeting up with my buddy later this year at Mandello. Maybe I'll get a chance to try his Airone...
 
I’m envious of your SS. I’m on the look out for an old bevel myself :D

Fabulous stories, keep them coming

:okay
 
I was 58 years old before I rode my first Guzzi. I'm now 65 and have owned around 14 of them. I just want to try as many as I can. I've owned a lot of bikes and they've been varied., but I do wonder what route my motorcycling path would have taken, had I have bought that V50 instead of the CX500 in the late 70's.
I really do wish I'd gotten into Guzzi's earlier.
 
Personally I'd always liked the look of Guzzi's and almost bought a V50 in the late 70's but plumped for a CX500 instead (stupid boy).

An admission first - I don't own a Guzzi and never have, but....in a kind of similar story to the OP, I had a CX500, and a mate went and bought a spanking new V50. He had no end of trouble with oil leakage which was eventually diagnosed as porous barrels (?). He eventually parted company with it, more than a little hacked off, but I always thought it was a lovely looking thing and I've been thinking for a while now that I ought to have a Guzzi of that sort of vintage - and keeping an eye on the for sale ads, you never know.
 
I’ve always been attracted to ‘practical’ bikes and not generally a speed merchant. I was working abroad and on my first leave went to the TT on my XS650 where I test rode a BMW R100CS and loved it so I bought one, hardly put any miles on it but after a further 6 months in the Libyan desert dreaming about all the places I was going to ride my bike when I got home, somehow I convinced myself a LeMans was what I needed so a few weeks after my return I sold the CS and bought a nearly new LM 2 which I still have. A couple of years later I bought R80ST simply because it was available and had panniers and I was planning a tour around France with my new girlfriend. Although we covered thousands of miles on the ST (on several trips) it was far too cramped for 2 up use so was replaced with a Guzzi Spada Royale which was another great bike. A passion for off roading and big trailies has meant that I’ve not been back to guzzi for a while.

In terms of smiles per mile Guzzis are right up there for me.
 
I loved my T3 850

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Loved it so much that I sold my Audace :

809bffd6a493973f5f6a46f47c7976e0.jpg



BUT I then took the T3 off island for the first time and did a good few miles around Brittany. It was then I discovered the riding position for me on a full day out became quite uncomfortable.
I could have kept it for just pottering locally but the whole idea was to use it in Brittany.....so I reluctantly sold it.
In hindsight I should have kept the Audace, as that was much more roomy....

Oh well.

I was almost tempted to get a ‘new’ Stelvio .
A local dealer used to be a Guzzi dealer .When he lost the franchise he still had a new Griso, Cali and Norge.
This was in 2009.
He only sold the Cali about 2 years ago and the last time I spoke with him, he still had the Stelvio and Norge.
He’s a silly sod and wanted silly money for them so still has them.
He’d probably let them go for a lowish figure now but the bikes have sat there for 12 years !!
They’ve missed a few recalls and god knows what would need sorting,such as seals and the like.
The thought still pops up occasionally, though garage is full.
 


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