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Ever ridden a Moto Guzzi?

MZ5

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There's a dealer in Portland, OR, that I went to the other day. First time I can recall seeing a Moto Guzzi in person, other than perhaps a single example at the IMS a few years ago. This dealer, though very small and out of the way, had about every model they make, and generally multiple copies.

Anyway, I just thought the California 1400 Touring was an absolutely gorgeous bike! Have any of you ever ridden one? Or any Goose? What are they like? What's reliability and durability like? Even my wife thought that California was very pretty (in the pic I sent her, anyway). :)
 
Had a 1969 V700 that was rebuilt for the first at 245,000 miles. You could comb your hair in the paint job which was the original.
 
Always had a fond spot in my heart for them, but alas never an owner. The closest I came, was the Honda version- CX500Turbo.
 
I had one forced on me once. By that I mean a friend insisted that I ride his to check it out. I think it was a 750S from the late 70's or thereabouts with a tuned motor and clip ons. I just could not warm to it. The valves sounded like they wanted out of the heads and it was a very slow steering motorcycle. I took it out the road for a bit, then stopped and sat down and looked at it for a while. Its looks were the best part, but it was not for me.

Some folks like Guzzis. They are a special breed. I am afraid I am not one of them.
 
Nice to look, great to ride but damn expensive to maintain and basically it is an Italian Harley with zero parts or parts which cost 1 leg and 2 kidneys.
Avoid at all cost.
Even new ones.


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I was a BMW guy all the way, in fact went around the world in 92-93 on a R100gs/pd. once BMW went to the oil head I went to Guzzi. I have owned 5 of them and currently have a Cal 1100 that has over 100k on it. I have had very few problems, far less than my BMSs. I have not found them to be expensive to maintain, oil, filters, adjust valves and that's about it. Overall I feel that they handle better than the BMWs and are full of passion. If you drive a "Honda Accord" you probably won't like the Guzzis.

I currently live in Thailand and there are no Guzzi dealers, if there were I'd be on a 750 V7, and probably a Stelvio. Great rides!!!
 
I have had dozens of Guzzis since 1979. I raced them for a number of years, I was the last guy racing one in AMA Pro Twins back in the early 90's. I currently have 3 bikes, an NC700x, a Guzzi Automatic from the 70's and a 2009 Guzzi California Touring bike (1100cc). I had one of the new California 1400's for a year and put 15,000 miles on it. Great bike, But as I get older, I do not like heavy bikes as much.

Lots of misconceptions about guzzis. They are not expensive or hard to work on. The parts are not expensive, and are readily available on ebay and from a number of online sources. Guzzis are the best kept secret in motorcycling. Cheap on the used market, classic, great handling and reliable as a stone bridge. Yes, you must learn to do a few things, and like all things mechanical they will need something eventually. The good news is, the online community is strong with advice. They do not require hardly any special tools to disassemble. The most automotive of bike designs, if you can work on an old v-8 chevy, you can work on a guzzi.
 
I drive a Honda NC700X. Isn't that pretty much the 2-wheel equivalent of the Accord?
:p

No, the NC700x is the Fit, remember? The GL1800 is the Accord. It even has the same style tail lights.

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