Guzzi's

After the HB rally I have been thinking about Guzzi's. Preety cool bikes !

What model and years were the guzzis there, Mikes, Petes, Daves and Colins?

I get lost on what model is what, since they all are V twins and not yamaha 2 strokes

No rush to buy anything yet and want to have a look at a few (and ride a few, havnt for many years) at the Rattly Tappit Rally would be a good chance and there might be some for sale

Will I get strung up top the nearest pole if I turn up on my LC to Guzzi rally?

Are there any Guzzi experts in BFTP.............................................. ...

Yes!
No!
In that order.
You'll be alright mate a two smoker at a two cyclinder event can't go wong!
As for Esperts on Guzzi's na mate no one like that in the BFTP aye Michael?
te he he Oh that's gunna hurt i can just tell, already.

I'm not sure if anyone here rides a Guzzi,let alone knows anything about them....at least not that I know of anyway.I have a Guzzi manual if you need to know anything.....

Jason. Pull yourself together man. Stay away from the dark side. Walk into the (Suzuki) light.

Dave's was a 1975/76 T-3 but modified and so well used it is a good advert for them, I have bumped into Dave all around NZ on that bike for years and years. He does not pussy around with the old girl either.
Peter's was a 1988 Mk5 LeMans, I knew the original (1st) owner and witnessed it's de-crating. It was the firts Guzzi I rode back in '88 and the rest is history. Peter bought it and racked it up to over 130,000kms then did a freshup in 2008 but it would have kept going a while longer. It now is stock but with a slight lighten and balance job and careful recon/assembly and a pommy aftermarket fairing guess who sold him.. I dont know what the total kms is now, probably over 150,000 knowing him
Mine was a 1981 Mk2 LeMans that Seedy fanged around on plenty of BFTP runs. It is stock paint (what's left of it) and stock original engine. Carbs were recon last year and it has air damper front forks and Works adjustable rear shocks. It runs the proddie racer exhaust, new Surflex clutch and 1.1kg off the flywheel. She just turned over 140,200kms when I got home.

Colin can tell you about his 850 Mk3 I think it's an '83 and in my humble opinion, the best model LeMans to get.

Jason you want this beastie-http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/album.php?albumid=986

Guzzis were designed in Italy in the late 1800's as snow mobile engines.
Early ones were steam powered but the later diesel ones are more popular
I once saw one with three wheels and a flat tray used to haul wood
The Mk 2 is much the same but with a fake crocodile seat.
Owners are usually very good with spanners, unlike the workers at the factory,
The best way to tell them apart is price,
round barrels are more expensive than square barrels,
odd really as I would have thought square pistons would be more expensive.
The 'sporty' ones have 'double pumpers'
most other carbs seem to be able to do it with one.....
Guzzi beat the rest to 'retro' bikes simply by not having any money to design new ones,

Jase I think you may have fallen over during the weekend and hit your head.

You'll be ok in a few days.

..Like wot 'e said...


Absorbing the teachings you have. The knowledge is within you Oilwalker. Feel a disturbance in the force I do.

you do realise they are not 2 smok-oops- strokes?

Pull yourself together man and think how your rd's will feel if you bring home a tart like the guzzi.

Jase. What you are feeling is the subtle effect of Guzzi propaganda. After being surrounded by them, you are having visions of fanging down the Amalfi Coast highway oggling mini-skirted Italian beauties on Vespas. The reality is you will be fixing the Guzzi on the side of the road in Ruatoria in the pissing rain while watching a carload of mobsters stopping to 'assist'.
Go on the LC forum for a fix. All will be OK after that.

Yeah Jace, D-pole is right. My suggestion is find a 750 Kwaka tripple and squeeze it into the LC frame and really have some fun. 50% increase in 2 smoke too!!

Throttle control would add a new dimension to to coming out of tighter twisties.

Originally Posted by Dadpole

Jase. What you are feeling is the subtle effect of Guzzi propaganda. After being surrounded by them, you are having visions of fanging down the Amalfi Coast highway oggling mini-skirted Italian beauties on Vespas. The reality is you will be fixing the Guzzi on the side of the road in Ruatoria in the pissing rain while watching a carload of mobsters stopping to 'assist'.
Go on the LC forum for a fix. All will be OK after that.

Keith, you have completely misunderstood the Guzzi phenomenon, and clearly this is why you ride a Zook. Occurences such as you describe above are warmly considered by Guzzisti as merely exhibits of their bike's "character" and events such as the one you describe are little more than rites of passage. These bikes are "character-filled" and have cornered the market with factory-installed "quirks". Jase clearly needs more excitement in his life, as the LC's and the Monster are obviously far too reliable to display the levels of character awaiting him with Guzzi ownership.

English to Italian Tranlsation:Volty said:
Blah blah blah.. Guzzis are great.. blah blah... wish I was cool enough... blah blah.. sell my modern Dookie for one if anyone would buy it... blah blah... Guzzis are going up in value even in a ressession...blah blah.. getting out of my price range...blah blah.. Dodgy rules!

There there then, at least you got to touch one..

"Lost in the moment he was briefly happy"

I did notice Volty in that pic with the 'strange' bike, but thought his look was more of one of constipation than anything else.

He does have the look of someone with a gun pointed at him.