comeback of Moto Guzzi?

[DirtFlier]

The title is tongue-in-cheek because Guzzi is not about to surpass H-D in US motorcycle sales, which by the way is plunging each day as Milwaukee struggles to find something that works for them. I've been at an MSTA regional event in Marietta OH for the past 3-days and there are two, yup TWO, Guzzis here. One is a Norge and the other is their ADV model, whatever they call it, and both have a nice fit & finish. I saw the same two bikes at our event in Bristol, VA so they obviously belong to members.

The Norge (Italian for Norway, not the appliance!) has a strange pass-through just above the swingarm and it appears to be designed for a large diameter section of round tubing but just a guess on my part. The owner was clueless about the purpose of the hole. The bike has a centerstand for service which makes that hole even more curious. Regardless, it was a nice looking bike.

 

[mikesim]

I've always admired the look of the Norge, but for me, for touring the Geese are non-starters due to lack of dealer support.

Mike

 

[junglejim]

The V85TT has the features we want.

As far as dealer support is concerned Harley has the best by far, but I don't like their motorcycles. Guzzi, Triumph, BMW, Ducati, KTM, have the worst dealer support and some of the best motorcycles. That leaves Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha to choose from. Pick your poison.

Oops - forgot Kawasaki

 

[RedLdr1]

The lack of dealers, who stay in business for at least six months , kept me off the Norge. If Guzzi had decent dealer support I'd own one. I'm amazed that in a market the size of Atlanta / North Georgia the Italin brands have so much trouble keeping a stocking dealer for any length of time.

 

[mikesim]

IMHO, even though I like the Guzzi's, to a prospective buyer they do not offer the bang for the buck that the Japanese bikes offer. Their reliability while much better than it used to be is still not on par with the Japanese offerings. I think the Ducatis fall into the same category. Reliability wise, I think the Triumphs are nearly par with the Japanese and BMW and KTM not too far behind. Harley reliability is still pretty sketchy hence the need for the strong dealer network.

Mike

 

[junglejim]

IMHO, even though I like the Guzzi's, to a prospective buyer they do not offer the bang for the buck that the Japanese bikes offer. Their reliability while much better than it used to be is still not on par with the Japanese offerings. I think the Ducatis fall into the same category. Reliability wise, I think the Triumphs are nearly par with the Japanese and BMW and KTM not too far behind. Harley reliability is still pretty sketchy hence the need for the strong dealer network.

Mike

That's scary. I almost completely agree with Mike. The world must be coming to an end.

 

[DirtFlier]

I met a fast rider while in Europe some years ago. He was from PA and told me he had two Ducs so I asked "why two? He said, "one is always in the shop so I have a backup."

We have two Moto Guzzi dealers in OH. One is in Cincinnati and the other in Wooster, at the complete opposite corner of the state. The store in Wooster has been around for a long, long time because they are a multi-line dealer and carry at least two Japanese brands to help keep the store in business. The store in Cincy is Guzzi-only so it's probably living on borrowed time. :-(

 

[mikesim]

That's scary. I almost completely agree with Mike. The world must be coming to an end.

Ahem! Now, about that ice cream....?



Mike

 

[junglejim]

Ahem! Now, about that ice cream....?



Mike

Well Mike, ifen you'da showed up you'da got some but you didn't so we ate it.
Lets try for next NatSTOC

 

[Phil Tarman]

JustPassinThru said: "I've talked about the Honda CX/Silver Wing. It was, basically, Honda's stab at the M-G layout. And I sure wish they'd try it once more."

When I had my '83 Silver Wing, I always pretended it was a Moto Guizzi. Elizabeth Holbrook Pierson's book, "The Perfect Vehicle: What It Is About Motorcycles" had made me fall in love with Moto Guzzis. There was a picture of her boy friend riding a LeMans with panniers on a track somewhere that I thought showed the coolest single motorcycle I'd ever seen. Since then, I've seen lots of pix of LeMans and none of them has looked like that bike.

 

[artemedes]

I really like the V85 TT or whatever the new model is called. I will probably never actually own one though. Too much overlap with the Yamaha Super Tenere.

 

[mikesim]

I agree, Ms Pierson's books also make me want to own a Goose. If money was no object and I had a bigger garage, I'd own one just to see what all the fuss is about. It would have lotsa company with all the other bikes I'd love to own.

Mike

 

[DirtFlier]

Unlike the Guzzi, the Honda CX500 was liquid-cooled although the cyl and cyl head cover had superflous (sp?) fins so it wouldn't look so much like an industrial air compressor. And as far as I know, it's still the only Honda motorcycle with the crank above the transmission making it very top heavy. It had ills with the cam chain tensioners and perhaps one (?) other problem but was otherwise pretty bulletproof. It may have been the first Honda model to feature "Comstar" wheels - stamped alum spokes riveted to an alum rim.

 

[Rand soper]

The CX/GL 500/650 were about as bulletproof as they come. I have had 3 '82 GL500I's and except for the main fuse blowing one day (I jerry-rigged it with a piece of wire until I got home) none of the three ever let me down. The cam chain would stretch and need to be replaced at about 40k miles but was very easy to check and adjust. I never had a stator problem, but others did and it required removing the motor, which took about 30-45 minutes in total. Valve adjustments took about 5 minutes per side.
I made the switch from GL500I to NT700 when I got tired of commuting daily on a nearly 40 year old bike with nearly 100k on the clock. And the carburetors, I dislike carburetors.

 

[Lance Decker]

The title is tongue-in-cheek because Guzzi is not about to surpass H-D in US motorcycle sales, which by the way is plunging each day as Milwaukee struggles to find something that works for them. I've been at an MSTA regional event in Marietta OH for the past 3-days and there are two, yup TWO, Guzzis here. One is a Norge and the other is their ADV model, whatever they call it, and both have a nice fit & finish. I saw the same two bikes at our event in Bristol, VA so they obviously belong to members.

The Norge (Italian for Norway, not the appliance!) has a strange pass-through just above the swingarm and it appears to be designed for a large diameter section of round tubing but just a guess on my part. The owner was clueless about the purpose of the hole. The bike has a centerstand for service which makes that hole even more curious. Regardless, it was a nice looking bike.

Got any photos?

 

[DirtFlier]

Here it is and you can see daylight through that hole! The hole is roughly 75 mm above where the swingarm pivot bolt lives.

2008 Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 Gt For Sale in Stillwater, OK - Cycle Trader

2008 Moto Guzzi Norge 1200 Gt For Sale in Stillwater, OK on Cycle Trader.

www.cycletrader.com

 

[mikesim]

That hole is for spaghetti storage. It is an Italian bike after all..


Mike

 

[DirtFlier]

...or maybe a thin but long, litre bottle of red wine?

 

[mikesim]

...or maybe a thin but long, litre bottle of red wine?

As long as it goes with spaghetti! Can't compromise epicurean standards just because we are on a Motorcycle.

 

[Phil Tarman]

It's gotta be there for the Italian equivalent of a baguette.