Moto Guzzis?

[awa355]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/tourers/auction-605303349.htm

I love this. But are Guzzi's any more troublesome or expensive to live with than other makes?

[unstuck]

Looks like a nice bike, never had an experience with Guzzis though.:2thumbsup

[Banditbandit]

I've always hankered after a Guzzi (Le Mans - 1994) .. but never been in a position to buy one ...

I believe (talking to Guzzi owners and friends who have owned them) that there are good Guzzis .. that just run and run .. no hassles .. and bad Guzzis .. that needs constant work etc ... and it is not to do with the model - it is the individual bike ...

So if you get a good one then no worries ... if you get a bad one .. then you'd better be a good mechanic ..

[granstar]

Where are all the Guzzi gurus? Love to own an early 1000, Mille GT style or perhaps a new V7 but yep ...dosh or lack of it.

A few friends have had em and only issues iv'e noted some with poor electrics, nothing on a par with British, and requiring replacement of universal drives every 40, 000 k's or so ( no biggy apart from cost). One mate must have went around clock 3 times on his Spada only to be relegated to a trike after recovery from a tin top near take him (and definitely the bike) out, by going through a stop sign:bash:. Another a beautiful 1100 sport, lovely powerful machine that went like stink until he dropped it. Depends on model i guess, a bit agricultural but good bikes me thinks.

[awa355]

I have to go to Morrinsville tomorrow. I see that NV Motorcycles there, have about 4 new Guzzis listed. So I'll go in and have a look. When I get back into a real bike again, next year, it will be probably my last purchase so I want to get something that is what the heart wants, not the 'sensible' choice.

From back in the 70's, Italian bikes always seemed to be fairly tempremental and its hard to get away from that mindset. I dont have the mechanical skills to do any serious maintanence myself, so reliability has usually been a requirement. I love the look of the white V7.

[AllanB]

Where's Dangerous? He'd pop a wheelie on it ......

[Kickaha]

Where's Dangerous? He'd pop a wheelie on it ......

Last time I saw him do a wheelie he fell on his arse

[AllanB]

Last time I saw him do a wheelie he fell on his arse

Don't lend him your bike, he may blame the tyres ...................

[98tls]

Last time I saw him do a wheelie he fell on his arse

Fuck,wish id seen that.First time i met him was at a stop just north of Kurow many years ago,when we set off he made a lame attempt at one wheel,was directly behind him as we set off and i swear i heard the TL laughing.;)Still Guzzis have there merits when it comes to one wheel antics i suppose,with the motor being put in the wrong way round its not like your going to starve the front cylinder of oil eh.

[Paul in NZ]

The answer is - 'it depends'....

There will not be a reliable and competent dealer within a 1000 miles of you so if you are the sort of chap who owns a fist full of spanners and aint afraid to use em - then its not really any worse than any other bike. Servicing is easy but it can be repetitive.

Yes - there are good ones and bad ones but all of them will try your patience at one point or other. Get through that and it will hum along for ages and then have a wee hissy fit again...

The good news is parts are readily availiable on line and relatively cheap. The Guzzi knowledge base is awesome and freely shared so joining a forum of one sort or another is a must. So is buying 'Guzziology' which tells you everything about every guzzi that the shop manual does not tell you and that you really need to know.

Thats not that cheap for a crippled California so look around.

[Banditbandit]

This is not a California .. but it's very pretty ... and reasonable money too.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/cruiser/auction-602439763.htm

284132

[Paul in NZ]

I doubt anyone would reccomend a Lario as a good place to start with Moto Guzzis...

Most of them are sorted now but back when they were new seasoned technicians would hide behind scatter shields if someone ran an engine inside the workshop... Quite powerful for the engine size (back in the day) but the 4V head was a ghastly mistake. Two piece valves with too strong valve springs and a revvy nature left a lot of heart ache....

Fabulous bike once fully sorted and amazingly swift...

[Voltaire]

I have the ancester of the current V7 series, bought as a non runner....now a semi runner..its always a " just needs a ..." away.
Coming from a BMW airhead background they are very similar, but with some different ways of going about things.
I gave up trying to get parts here, found German Ebay to be excellent and a shop in Holland TML...?
The 'big Blocks' are completely different, one day when I'm bigger I might get a le Mans 3.....

284135

[Big Dave]

Adam could do with some help with his copy writing.

[willytheekid]

I doubt anyone would reccomend a Lario as a good place to start with Moto Guzzis...

Most of them are sorted now but back when they were new seasoned technicians would hide behind scatter shields if someone ran an engine inside the workshop... Quite powerful for the engine size (back in the day) but the 4V head was a ghastly mistake. Two piece valves with too strong valve springs and a revvy nature left a lot of heart ache....

Fabulous bike once fully sorted and amazingly swift...

+1
...listen to this man :yes:

Ive owned one Guzzi (a 95 1100 sport), yes, they require a tad more "attention" than other makes...but if you look after them, treat them to regular checks, lubes and general maintenance, they run like a clock!.
I rode mine as daily transport for years!, it never missed a beat!...I love the simple nature of these beast's, easy to work on and damn well made! (It may be simple tech when compared to modern kits...but they have the most "soul & feel" ;))

[Big Dave]

Yeah. Listen to that man - buy a Triumph. Bonneville.

[Road kill]

I have a mate that has a fairly new V7,,,I love it because my Saint runs circles around it.

And he's going to read this:nya:

[MotoKuzzi]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/tourers/auction-605303349.htm

I love this. But are Guzzi's any more troublesome or expensive to live with than other makes?.

I have owned a California for 6 years and managed to keep it on the road for about 2 of those due to drive shaft issues, which may have started as lack of lube by a previous owner but compounded by a lack of experience on my part.

Hint - if you remove the UJ for inspection - get an engineer to press it back in properly. If you don't and it don't sit square it will cause all manner of very expensive issues at the coupler, pinion shaft end.

I'm now very proficient at removing and lubing / replacing driveshafts and have a couple of spares ready to go. They can be resplined but unless you have an engineer mate the only piece worth resplining is the pinion shaft otherwise you're up for about $1400 for a matching crown wheel and pinion from Italy.

If you're not mechanically minded you need to be prepared to learn. ;)

[Banditbandit]

I doubt anyone would reccomend a Lario as a good place to start with Moto Guzzis...

Most of them are sorted now but back when they were new seasoned technicians would hide behind scatter shields if someone ran an engine inside the workshop... Quite powerful for the engine size (back in the day) but the 4V head was a ghastly mistake. Two piece valves with too strong valve springs and a revvy nature left a lot of heart ache....

Fabulous bike once fully sorted and amazingly swift...

Thanks for the heads up - I've always loved the look of the Lario .. just beautiful ... but maybe not after what you say.

I love this - the sexiest motorcycle I have ever seen ... I want (unfortunately the wife says "sell one to pay for it" ...)

284158

[98tls]

Worked at Uptown motorcycles when a younger fella,bloke that owned it was a Guzzi nut,the shop hack for awhile was a Spada which at 1st i thought was the ugliest motorcycle i had ever laid eyes on but after a few weekends away riding the thing i came to like..a lot,spent some time on a Sport as well,long as a truck but another bike i have fond memories of once i stopped trying to ride it like an inline 4.

[Paul in NZ]

Thanks for the heads up - I've always loved the look of the Lario .. just beautiful ... but maybe not after what you say.

I love this - the sexiest motorcycle I have ever seen ... I want (unfortunately the wife says "sell one to pay for it" ...)

284158

Tonti framed big blocks come in 3 flavours. Small valve, mid valve and big valve... Mk4 and Mk5 use the big valve engine which is the most wear prone. Usually the valve guides go first.

From the factory they were fitted with amazingly strong return springs in the carbs and hence had a throttle action suitable only for over sexed steroid abusing gorrillas with a right handed masterbation fetish. Its an easy fix (lighter springs) or even better flat topped carbs.

Having said that - once a few little annoyances like this are sorted the Mk5 as you have shown, is a bloody good bike by anyones standards. Astonishingly rapid on the road and great pillion friendly sports bikes. They can be purchased cheaply these days. Look for the last of them which was the SE version....

[awa355]

.

I have owned a California for 6 years and managed to keep it on the road for about 2 of those due to drive shaft issues, which may have started as lack of lube by a previous owner but compounded by a lack of experience on my part.

Hint - if you remove the UJ for inspection - get an engineer to press it back in properly. If you don't and it don't sit square it will cause all manner of very expensive issues at the coupler, pinion shaft end.

I'm now very proficient at removing and lubing / replacing driveshafts and have a couple of spares ready to go. They can be resplined but unless you have an engineer mate the only piece worth resplining is the pinion shaft otherwise you're up for about $1400 for a matching crown wheel and pinion from Italy.

If you're not mechanically minded you need to be prepared to learn. ;)

From many of the comments posted, I'm probably better to steer clear of a guzzi. I love the cafe styled Guzzi's but when I get back into a decent bike, I really wont have heaps of spare cash to keep a bike going. That minor technicality isn't going to stop me from looking tho.

[dangerous]

Don't lend him your bike, he may blame the tyres ...

Fuck,wish id seen that.First time i met him was at a stop just north of Kurow many years ago,when we set off he made a mint attempt at one wheel,was directly behind him as we set off and i swear i heard

Last time I saw him do a wheelie he fell on his arse
got a farking elefents memory you aye
fuck all 3 of ya's... happy now 284176



From many of the comments posted, I'm probably better to steer clear of a guzzi. I love the cafe styled Guzzi's fuck man... it dont get any easyer than a guzzi, basic as basic, dont be shy



This is not a California .. but it's very pretty ... and reasonable money too.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/cruiser/auction-602439763.htm
the problem child of the Guzzi's



I've always hankered after a Guzzi (Le Mans - 1994) no LeMans between 91 and bout 2002, ya proberly mean a mk5



http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/tourers/auction-605303349.htm
I love this. But are Guzzi's any more troublesome or expensive to live with than other makes?
nothing wrong with em, less trouble than ya average jappa, pm jackel nice guy in ashburton he has one amoungest others, and just in case this lot try n tell ya a Guzzi and or shaftie cant whellie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve9741O2aNs&feature=c4-overview&playnext=1&list=TL_ihOy_frr4A

[nudemetalz]

Apparently, GN250 valaves can replace the 4V 650 head ones,...a good fix but you might want to keep it secret at the Guzzi Rally....

[Paul in NZ]

Apparently, GN250 valaves can replace the 4V 650 head ones,...a good fix but you might want to keep it secret at the Guzzi Rally....

You also need to replace the valave springs - the factory ones are stupidly strong and will wear everything out double quick.

There have been a few yanks and some europeans building up 750cc plus Lario's and getting very good results...

Don't be put off by Lario stories. Moto Guzzis are usually reliable and most of the inherent faults (if any) are well known and workarounds availiable. Great bikes - great community of riders.

[nudemetalz]

Ooops,..Valave...think of it as an Italian way of saying valve....

I always wondered they didn't make the new V7 series with an updated 4V head. Might give it a bit more urge than the 50-odd hp they make.
The Lario is reported to make 58hp.

[Paul in NZ]

Ooops,..Valave...think of it as an Italian way of saying valve....

I always wondered they didn't make the new V7 series with an updated 4V head. Might give it a bit more urge than the 50-odd hp they make.
The Lario is reported to make 58hp.

Because no one with a memory of earlier 4V small blocks would buy it...

The biggest 'problem' is the heron head on the small blocks. I guess its cheaper to make of something but they really strangle them. I suspect what they really need is a whole new OHC engine to be honest.

BUT - having 50hp isnt a problem in that bike.. The owners seem to like them.

[Big Dave]

I even like them. And 50hp is a wild exaggeration.

[nudemetalz]

Too true, Paul.

Actually, the time I had Mark from Scooterazzi's one for a couple of weeks I really enjoyed it also.
To contradict what I just said :wacko:, it didn't feel that gutless. Mind you, his had some lovely sounding Neptunes on it :)

Being relatively light helps.

[Paul in NZ]

I even like them. And 50hp is a wild exaggeration.

Cough.... yup......

[Banditbandit]

the problem child of the Guzzi's




I'd prefer a Nero Corsa ... sell me yours??

[nudemetalz]

I'd prefer a Nero Corsa ... sell me yours??

I'd be wary of his one. It get's wheelied everywhere.
Mind you only allegedly, because everyone knows that Guzzis can't be wheelied...

[dangerous]

I always wondered they didn't make the new V7 series with an updated 4V head. Might give it a bit more urge than the 50-odd hp they make.WERE HAVE YOU BEEN... they have google Moto Guzzi V7 Racer Record.
http://rideapart.com/2013/03/rideapart-review-moto-guzzi-v7-racer-record/







then again i could be wrong

[nudemetalz]

WERE HAVE YOU BEEN... they have google Moto Guzzi V7 Racer Record.
http://rideapart.com/2013/03/rideapart-review-moto-guzzi-v7-racer-record/






then again i could be wrong

Yup for sure, nice fairing, seat and pipes...but no 4V heads in place of 2V heads. That was the point I was making, DD

[AllanB]

What's the company in the USA that are using NASCAR tech on their Guzzi heads to produce excellent hp out of the bikes?

Got an article in a magazine somewhere..........

[dangerous]

Yup for sure, nice fairing, seat and pipes...but no 4V heads in place of 2V heads. That was the point I was making, DD
OH... I thought I read somewere they were, how else did they get the extra power and talkies down low, and the new rocker cover looks like its to fit extra valves... but alas Ive been learned LOL and on the record subject its awesome but I prefure the earler seat/tail.



I'd prefer a Nero Corsa ... sell me yours??problem with Guzzi is ya tend not to sell but get another, unfortunatly I cant afford to (bloody kids, what was I thinking) yeah I have thought about selling, done two trips up dorkland way and many round the south Is, but ya see it sitting there and ya just think 'how awesome is that' why I duno cos really they aint a pretty bike LOL.
If I did it would be for a Griso LE which I would respray corectly what it is ment to represent andfit up a pair of high rise pipes... see Im dreaming again just like 4V head records.
And yes BB, the mk5 has something about it aye.

[Banditbandit]

I'd be wary of his one. It get's wheelied everywhere.
Mind you only allegedly, because everyone knows that Guzzis can't be wheelied...

Even the chicks can debunk that myth ...

http://s10.postimage.org/lrhwhlh8l/guzzigirl.jpg


WERE HAVE YOU BEEN... they have google Moto Guzzi V7 Racer Record.

I love that V7 cafe racer .. that's definitely on my "When I Win Lotto" list ...

[Rhys]

I even like them. And 50hp is a wild exaggeration.

Sorry you're a bit mistaken! they have 50 Italian horse power! Italian horses are different the jap horses, The italian horses are more like shetland ponies

[awa355]

To me, I couldn't give a shit if the V7 was the most gutless 750 on the market. I just love the look and sound. I flagged the hp race crap years ago.

Here's a Guzzi Daytona on tdme. If I had the money I'd buy it. If it didn't fit me, if it didn't run, I would just park it in the lounge.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/classic-vintage/auction-607491563.htm

[dangerous]

To me, I couldn't give a shit if the V7 was the most gutless 750 on the market. I just love the look and sound. I flagged the hp race crap years ago.

Here's a Guzzi Daytona on tdme. If I had the money I'd buy it. If it didn't fit me, if it didn't run, I would just park it in the lounge.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/classic-vintage/auction-607491563.htm

ummm... it is LMFAO
hey but look lets take the V50, 490 cc 33 kW (44 hp) not much aye... but one will keep up with a big bore or jappa of the same cc, handling and torque
Over 20yrs ago the 750 of flavour was the 750 targa... 34 kW (46 hp) and or yet 190 km/h no improvment over the latest model
... but again that dont matter the new V7 will keep up with any equalivent styled equalled cc bike... cool aye
And hell yes that datona is worth all of that, but dont be mis lead a 1100 sport will kill it, they re only 1hp up on a sport and ya have to wait for it, the 2v is long gone by the time the 1000 peaks.



Sorry you're a bit mistaken! they have 50 Italian horse power! Italian horses are different the jap horses, The italian horses are more like shetland ponies
smart prick... my 91hp 1100 comes in at a nice 83hp rear wheel yet I have still blowen late modeled 1000s away (again, handling and tourque... and a retard would blow my doors off in the right situation)

[Rhys]

To me, I couldn't give a shit if the V7 was the most gutless 750 on the market. I just love the look and sound. I flagged the hp race crap years ago.

Here's a Guzzi Daytona on tdme. If I had the money I'd buy it. If it didn't fit me, if it didn't run, I would just park it in the lounge.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/classic-vintage/auction-607491563.htm


They do look nice :drool:

[doc]

I'd be wary of his one. It get's wheelied everywhere.
Mind you only allegedly, because everyone knows that Guzzis can't be wheelied...
I'm geting tired of bailing Dangerous out with this vid...

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/09AWSxLAYUA?list=UUMEs430vUNFryis9r228lgA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[dangerous]

I'm geting tired of bailing Dangerous out with this vid...
whats that vid clip doc a short from the next series of 'sons of anarchy'