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Guzzi NewB

O

oca grassa

Just got it firing!
Joined
Nov 1, 2024
Messages
8
Reaction score
9
Location
Fairfield, California,United States
Hello and thanks for having me here. A riding buddy said I needed a Guzzi in my life/garage and I’ve been looking much harder at what is on offer on CL.

I need another bike like a hole in my head. However, I recently stumbled on a possible Guzzi purchase that I’m considering.

So, after lurking on other Guzzi forums, I chose here to join and mostly continue to lurk and absorb some Guzzi knowledge reading through threads that interest me.

Been riding for over 30 years, mostly sport bikes. Had a dalliance with a BMW GS. That didn’t last long at all. The other bikes in my garage were more my style & taste. The GS was….different.

Honestly if it hadn’t tried to kill me (front brake line exploded under hard braking) I’d have more good things to say about it. I’ve ridden Harleys that shifted better really.

Currently 7 bikes reside in the garage. Just under half Japanese…the rest Italian of one flavor or other.

I work in aviation and have for nearly 40 years. Only ground duty these days. Spent many years working on aircraft support equipment so know my way around a wrench a little.

Work on all my own stuff. Though work is really busy these days so have little time for my garage “dates”. In the middle of a couple resto-mods, one old oil boiler GSXR and the other is a slabby 900SS.

Between those projects, working on my house & yard, I mainly only get to ride to work & back about 90% of the time. My fun days are really limited and more often than not end up cut short because of life’s more pressing matters.

I’m lucky enough to live in Northern California so I ride year round. Spent a couple of years riding in the UK 30 years ago and got well acclimated to riding in the rain.

Not uncommon for me to get to work dripping wet in my riding gear and have to disrobe in the warehouse before going into my office. This will be it from me for a while as I read more and assess this opportunity for Guzzi ownership.

Thanks again for having me. S.P.
 
DeadEye said:
Welcome !
There are quite a few different styles in the lineup, have you decided on one ?
California / Eldorado ? Griso / Norge ?

Don
Click to expand...
Honestly I don’t particularly have my heart set on one particular model. I mean, I know what I like and if I were to find one at the right price I’d absolutely pick up a Sport 1100i.

However, I’ve found them to be quite rare on the used market. Those that I have found are going for more than I’m willing to pay. I don’t NEED another bike. My garage is already full.

I’ve given thought to buying an unloved example of a modern bike (post Y2K) and going the custom build route. Also REALLY like the 850 V7 Special in blue/white. Kinda like the Stelvio too. Mainly cuz the ones I’ve seen don’t have a beak.

Brain power & time wise, I don’t think the custom route makes too much sense. It’s more of a “maybe if I find one silly cheap” that would be a good project. Im kind of a sucker for unloved bikes and restoring them to riding condition.

A Norge wouldn’t be out of the question either. I don’t have anything remotely resembling a touring bike in my humble collection. My 900SS is more sport than touring and still in project form. It really boils down to opportunity and motivation.

I am well past trying to turn something into something it isn’t even if that can be successfully done with almost any Guzzi. I have a couple of those projects going already.
 
You have come to the right place. Todd is a former racer and expert tuner and extremely knowledgeable on guzzi. Myself, I have a 2017 Griso and a 2008 1200 sport. You can scratch in the canyons or tour on either one.
 
oca grassa said:
Hello and thanks for having me here. A riding buddy said I needed a Guzzi in my life/garage and I’ve been looking much harder at what is on offer on CL.

I need another bike like a hole in my head. However, I recently stumbled on a possible Guzzi purchase that I’m considering.

So, after lurking on other Guzzi forums, I chose here to join and mostly continue to lurk and absorb some Guzzi knowledge reading through threads that interest me.

Been riding for over 30 years, mostly sport bikes. Had a dalliance with a BMW GS. That didn’t last long at all. The other bikes in my garage were more my style & taste. The GS was….different.

Honestly if it hadn’t tried to kill me (front brake line exploded under hard braking) I’d have more good things to say about it. I’ve ridden Harleys that shifted better really.

Currently 7 bikes reside in the garage. Just under half Japanese…the rest Italian of one flavor or other.

I work in aviation and have for nearly 40 years. Only ground duty these days. Spent many years working on aircraft support equipment so know my way around a wrench a little.

Work on all my own stuff. Though work is really busy these days so have little time for my garage “dates”. In the middle of a couple resto-mods, one old oil boiler GSXR and the other is a slabby 900SS.

Between those projects, working on my house & yard, I mainly only get to ride to work & back about 90% of the time. My fun days are really limited and more often than not end up cut short because of life’s more pressing matters.

I’m lucky enough to live in Northern California so I ride year round. Spent a couple of years riding in the UK 30 years ago and got well acclimated to riding in the rain.

Not uncommon for me to get to work dripping wet in my riding gear and have to disrobe in the warehouse before going into my office. This will be it from me for a while as I read more and assess this opportunity for Guzzi ownership.

Thanks again for having me. S.P.
Click to expand...
Northern Cali Lucky guy. I would suggest the Aprillia Tuareg 660 Best of both worlds. I have both Moto and Aprilia and wouldn't part with either.
 
If you're a "sucker for unloved bikes and restoring them to riding condition", your options are almost endless.

You can often find a low mileage bike very cheap, that quit because of some small issue that the owner was unwilling to deal with and can be back on the road in an hour.

It is definitely a buyer's market for used Guzzis right now!

A Mille is already "different". A Centauro? I had one for 40,000 miles, excellent unique bike. A Quota? Won't see many of those coming the other way! I know a guy with a good running '95 carb Sport who would sell it cheap.

Good Luck!

Lannis
 
Sorry…It’s an Aprilia Mille R, not a Guzzi Mille.

When you state “cheap” what are we talking about?

The least I’ve seen being asked for a Sport 1100 was $6200 and it was NOT a pristine bike.

I paid $4500 for my 996….and thought that was a fair deal for an honest bike. It needed mechanical work, sure but was cosmetically excellent.

IMG_0900.jpeg

A Sport 1100 would look wonderful amongst this crowd….but so would a Daytona….or a Magni. I’m just not gonna spend that kinda money on yet another bike. So….what kinda “cheap” are we talking?
 
At the time, it was simply reasonable. It was smack in the middle of prices for a used 996 with what I would call “expected” mileage for the age of the machine.

Ducati guys might consider it “high” but at 20 years old I’d expect 20K ish miles if ridden by a typical owner who has multiple bikes.

I only posted the price I paid for comparison. I’m a working guy, not too far from retirement. I don’t have huge discretionary income to just throw at a bike. Specially at what would be #8. Not #8 ever owned, but #8 in an already crowded garage.

Realistically, as much as I’d love a Sport 1100i I don’t see it as my next bike purchase. I don’t feel like I want to spend much more than a couple of Ks on another bike. Less than that if possible.

Yes, I’m a cheap skate/tight arse….but only because of what is already in my garage. If the right deal came along….maybe I’d go for it but it would have to be THE right deal.
 
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