Guzzi

[gregarious]

Love my FJR, but being very tall, I'm considering the new Guzzi adventure bike. Anyone have experience with recent Guzzis?

 

[Falko]

The guy I ride with has an 08 Norge. I don't know which engine the new adventure bike has, but his is the 2V. It has been very reliable for him, I think he has around 24k on it now. If you are unsure you want to buy one and like clean gear boxes, don't ride one, you'll buy it on the spot.

 

[beemerdons]

Having ridden and owned BMW Motorcycles for the last 43+ years I have looked at buying Moto-Guzzi many times over, I have actually been to the M-G Assembly Plant in Mandello del Lario twice because of "Guzzi Fever". What has kept me from buying is the poor dealer and sad distributorship of Moto-Guzzi parts here in the West.

I see you two are from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts respectively, if you have a solid M-G Dealer and are close to the parts source coming in from Italia: I believe owning a Stelvio or a Norge is a great move!

 

[gregarious]

Having ridden and owned BMW Motorcycles for the last 43+ years I have looked at buying Moto-Guzzi many times over, I have actually been to the M-G Assembly Plant in Mandello del Lario twice because of "Guzzi Fever". What has kept me from buying is the poor dealer and sad distributorship of Moto-Guzzi parts here in the West.

I see you two are from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts respectively, if you have a solid M-G Dealer and are close to the parts source coming in from Italia: I believe owning a Stelvio or a Norge is a great move!

I have a dealer within 30 miles Fast by Ferracci- has a great reputation for handling all the Italian bikes. I'm looking at the Stelvio NTX. I'll try to test ride one this fall, then maybe pull the trigger next spring/summer if I like it...

Thanks for the input guys!

Greg

 

[Bungie]

The Griso LE makes my taint feel funny. But it's just looks for me.

 

[beemerdons]

The Griso LE makes my taint feel funny. But it's just looks for me.

So what, the smell of yamafitter's garlic flavored Kielbasa farts make your taint feel funny too! https://www.mgnoc.com/ At the height of my "Guzzi Fever" I joined the Moto-Guzzi North America Owners Club for a year; a nice group of folks, I went to one of their Southwest campouts/meets, membership is $30 a year and you do not have to be a current M-G owner to join up with MGNOC!

Steve-O: Have you ever seen a Moto-Guzzi V50 Monza? An extremely rare M-G Collectible, I'll bet only a hundred of these were manufactured! They were going after the R90S look in a 500cc package, absolutely gorgeous. Send huron52 over to test ride if for you, don't send Bill F. over because he would look like a horny old Polish monkey trying to feck a football on this Monza!

1981 V50 Monza

Description and condition*: Bike is in excellent retored condition.Many hours & dollars spent on this bike.Has been repainted in original colours.Exhaust system is not original but is new including headers.Dynatech system included but not installed as points are fine at this time.Manuals also available & included.

Thanks Joe

Photo:

Asking Price: Asking $3500.00 US. Shipping if needed will be up to the buyer to arrange & pay for.Bike is in Ontario Canada

Name*: Joe Rogers

Email Address*: [email protected]

City / State*: Picton On.Canada

Phone Number*: 613-476-2639

The Moto Guzzi V50 Monza

September/October 2008

https://www.motorcycleclassics.com/classic-italian-motorcycles/moto-guzzi-v50-monza.aspx

By Richard Backus

 

Years produced: 1980-1983

Claimed power: 48hp @ 7,500rpm

Top speed: 109mph (est.)

Engine type: 490cc OHV, air-cooled V-twin

Transmission: 5-speed

Weight: 353lb (dry)

MPG: 45-55

Price then: $3,249 (1981)

Price now: $2,500-$4,500

 

“If you were ready to buy a 500cc bike and you happened to stroll into a Moto Guzzi dealership while making the rounds through the local motorcycle shops, chances are you wouldn’t ride out on a Moto Guzzi V50 Monza. The Monza, you must understand, is simply not a mass-market machine for the casual or average buyer.” So wrote the editors at Cycle in their November 1981 issue. Ironically, the V50 Monza was supposed to be Moto Guzzi’s shot at mass marketing to the motorcycle enthusiast — a fact Cycle’s editors either didn’t appreciate or simply rejected.

 

As one of the top moto mags, however, it’s doubtful Cycle’s editors were unaware of Moto Guzzi boss Alejandro De Tomaso’s strong yen to drive the Japanese back to the sea. Or that he hoped his company’s little 490cc Moto Guzzi V50 Monza — and its even smaller brother, the 346cc V35 — would be the motorcycle to stem the tide of the Japanese invasion. More likely, they recognized his desire for what it was: wishful thinking.

 

The new Guzzi

When De Tomaso took control of Moto Guzzi in 1973 — with financial backing from the Italian government — it was a company in deep financial trouble. Although enthusiasts praised the Italian manufacturer for its fine line of big V-twins like the El Dorado and V7, Moto Guzzi was losing money steadily. To turn the tide, De Tomaso decided to take advantage of Guzzi’s expertise with air-cooled V-twins, expanding the theme and hence Guzzi’s market by moving into small-displacement bikes affordable to a larger population. Enter the V35 and V50.

 

Prototypes of the new small-bore V-twins, which featured horizontally split crankcases for easier machining (the big twin crankcases were one-piece affairs) and an oil filter that could be replaced without removing the oil pan, appeared in 1976. The first bikes started rolling off the assembly line at Guzzi’s Mandello del Lario factory in 1977, but production bottlenecks kept the new models from being exported until 1979, when production was moved to an old Innocenti car factory in Milan. Finally, volume production was possible, and Moto Guzzi started promoting its new little bikes.

 

Although the V50 was lauded by the European motorcycling press, it was basically ignored in the U.S., where the market was becoming saturated with increasingly sophisticated and technically proficient bikes from Japan. To help shine the spotlight on its little twin, Moto Guzzi introduced the upmarket Moto Guzzi V50 Monza. Larger carbs (28mm instead of 24mm), plus bigger valves and revised intake and exhaust manifolds, netted a few extra ponies over the earlier V50 (48hp versus 45hp), while new bodywork in the style of Guzzi’s much-lauded 850cc Le Mans positioned the Monza as a European pocket rocket, a term that would come into vogue in a few years with introduction of the Kawasaki GPz550.

 

The European motoring press loved both the standard V50 and the Monza, which received rave reviews for its handling, judged clearly superior to any of the Japanese competitors in its class. Importantly, that included Honda’s CX500, which the Monza was frequently compared to as both bikes were small-displacement, shaft-driven V-twins, although the Honda was water-cooled.

 

Cycle loved the bike’s handling, calling the Moto Guzzi V50 Monza “amazingly stable, inspiring rider confidence at high speeds in a straight line or through fast sweepers. The Guzzi tracks through corners as if it were laser-guided.” A low weight of 353 pounds (dry) — almost 90 pounds lighter than the CX500! — was a major factor in the bike’s good manners. And while the words “shaft drive” and “sportbike” are often considered mutually exclusive, testers reported the Guzzi’s system worked flawlessly, with barely a hint of the up-and-down movement often experienced with shaft-driven bikes as the rider rolls on and off the throttle.

 

Although the bike’s boy-racer riding position was deemed to limit its in-town appeal, it all came together out on the road. “The crouch doesn’t make sense until you start cruising at 70-plus speeds on deserted roads,” Cycle continued, “and then everything else suddenly begins to work together.”

 

To stop, the Moto Guzzi V50 Monza employed Guzzi’s patented linked-braking system: The brake pedal operates both the rear disc and the front left disc, with the front right disc operating off the handlebar lever, a scheme still used today on new Moto Guzzi’s, including the California Vintage. And aside from a very Italian, almost institutional lack of concern for switch gear ergonomics, quality and reliability were judged as Monza strong points. From 1981 on, ignition was by 12-volt coils and breaker points instead of the finicky Bosch electronic ignition used at first.

 

As it was, Guzzi’s small V-twin failed in its objective, at least in the U.S. While the new small block engines (layout aside, they shared no parts with the larger V-twins) ultimately begat a new series of Guzzi’s ranging from the V65 Lario to the recent Breva 750 and V7 Classic, in the U.S. market of the early 1980s they were too little, for too much: A 1981 list price of $3,249 insured that few beyond the Moto Guzzi faithful would opt for the little Monza. Curtis Harper at Harper’s Moto Guzzi says no more than 100 made it to U.S. dealers before it was dropped from the U.S. market.

 

Too bad, really, because the Monza’s a great little bike, with sharp looks, good performance and a bullet-proof engine. We can’t help but feel that if prices had been more in line with the competition from Japan we would have seen more of these Guzzis in dealer showrooms, making them easier to find today.

 

[Falko]

That is true, they are not known for their factory support.

 

[extrememarine]

A friend of mine has a '04 V11 Cafe Sport. She has ridden the snot out of it since getting in in '06 or so. It's had a few electrical gremlins with the instrument cluster over the years, but I believe that Guzzi had QC issues during this time. It's never left her stranded except when she ran it out of gas. I think this is the V2 motor, so not the same as the Norge. They have finally found a decent shop in SC to have it serviced at, but it's 2 hours away. She is considering selling it to move to a Tiger 800. Ohlins, Brembos, and more carbon fiber than should be legal have my checkbook twitching...

 

[gregarious]

Beemer Don:

Stop the lusting and buy the V50. You know you want it! :yahoo:

 

[beemerdons]

Beemer Don:

Stop the lusting and buy the V50. You know you want it! :yahoo:

Right you are gregarious, I'd love to own that V50. However I suffer from the same affliction affecting Corpulent Canuckistani yamafitter, I am way too fecking fat to ride a V50: Just like Bill F., myself on a V50 would look like an Irish monkey fornicating a football! The V50 would work for a slender build like Bungie has, the abnormal Bastard!

 

[Bungie]

The V50 would work for a slender build like Bungie has, the abnormal Bastard!

Ya but your kidnap proof as well as drought and famine resistant.

 

[Hudson]

My pal owns a 2008 CR1200, which uses the older 4v engine. Guzzi's of recent build (07 on) have higher than average reliability, much better than earlier models. Parts availability, which used to be difficult to maddening, has improved following the acquisition by Piaggi group, but the challenge remains that many dealers run little to no inventory. It's not that parts are hard to come by from the factory, more that dealerships during the recession have no incentive to keep high inventories of parts.

I wouldn't balk at owning a Guzzi. Tons of bargains out there, as 2-3 year old new models are heavily discounted. Go on Ebay to see what current models are selling for, but it's common to see a brand new $14k bike selling for $8-10K from the dealer. The newest generation of engines based on the 8v engines seem to have more power and bells and whistles. Maintence intervals are more frequent than the FJR, but valve checks are reasonbly easy since the engine is so accessible. Their shaft drives are allegedly very bulletproof.

If you buy one on discount, take some of the money you saved, find out which parts are frequently in demand (both repairs and routine service), and build yourself a stock of parts so you don't have to wait on the dealer. Also, stick to your service intervals. Finally, as a back up, consider extendng the warranty just in case.

We have a good dealer here in the PNW, Moto International, which has a a Guzzi guru on its team, so I wouldn't personally have a problem. You should check their website, where they list their inventory and prices. Biggest issue for me is whether the Stelvio is a better overall mount than an Super Tenere, a BMW 1200, a Triumph Tiger 1200, or a KTM.

 

[gregarious]

My pal owns a 2008 CR1200, which uses the older 4v engine. Guzzi's of recent build (07 on) have higher than average reliability, much better than earlier models. Parts availability, which used to be difficult to maddening, has improved following the acquisition by Piaggi group, but the challenge remains that many dealers run little to no inventory. It's not that parts are hard to come by from the factory, more that dealerships during the recession have no incentive to keep high inventories of parts.

I wouldn't balk at owning a Guzzi. Tons of bargains out there, as 2-3 year old new models are heavily discounted. Go on Ebay to see what current models are selling for, but it's common to see a brand new $14k bike selling for $8-10K from the dealer. The newest generation of engines based on the 8v engines seem to have more power and bells and whistles. Maintence intervals are more frequent than the FJR, but valve checks are reasonbly easy since the engine is so accessible. Their shaft drives are allegedly very bulletproof.

If you buy one on discount, take some of the money you saved, find out which parts are frequently in demand (both repairs and routine service), and build yourself a stock of parts so you don't have to wait on the dealer. Also, stick to your service intervals. Finally, as a back up, consider extendng the warranty just in case.

We have a good dealer here in the PNW, Moto International, which has a a Guzzi guru on its team, so I wouldn't personally have a problem. You should check their website, where they list their inventory and prices. Biggest issue for me is whether the Stelvio is a better overall mount than an Super Tenere, a BMW 1200, a Triumph Tiger 1200, or a KTM.

Hudson:

Thanks for the in depth info. I'm seriously considering waiting a year or two and hope to find a leftover Stelvio. Great idea about stocking up parts.

Greg

 

[beemerdons]

The V50 would work for a slender build like Bungie has, the abnormal Bastard!

Ya but your kidnap proof as well as drought and famine resistant.

True, very true!

 

[Mike Aldea]

I've looked for a used Norge GT 8V but there does not seem to be any available. All I find are the earlier Norge models and not many of them either. Unlike the FJR the number of Norges that have been sold limit the choice in the used motor market. Whereas there are a lot of FJRs available so a buyer can be choosy. I just wish I could find a way to test ride them both. I'm inclined to think after riding a Concours for the past 22 years I would feel right at home on an FJR. But may be it is time for a change and a Norge would certainly be a change from what I've been riding.

 

[jayke]

Assuming you're coming from a Concours C10, the FJR is a natural progression and a huge step up.

At least it was for me coming from a C10 to an FJR back in '05.

This time I'm going from a C14 to a '13 FJR, both are pretty close.

I have a buddy with a Orange Stelvio NTX. He loves it.

 

[Falko]

Going from a big four to the Guzzi twin is a bit of a difference. My friend with the Norge and I switch bikes occasionally. When it comes to trouncing down the highway, the FJR is favored, but the twisties and back roads beg for the lighter weight Italian. The FJR can eat the Guzzi's lunch all day long in acceleration but you have to work to hold the Guzzi's lines in the corners. The FJR is smoother than the twin's thumpity, but the gear box of the Guzzi is smooth as silk. The FJR definitely feels like a more modern bike overall, but the Guzzi is a ton of fun.