• Ciao Guest - You’ve landed at the ultimate Guzzi site. NEW FORUM REGISTRATIONS REQUIRE EMAIL ACTIVATION - CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER - Use the CONTACT above if you need help. New to the forum? For all new members, we require ONE post in the Introductions section at the bottom, in order to post in most of the other sections. ALWAYS TRY A SEARCH BEFORE STARTING A NEW TOPIC - Most questions you may have, have likely been already answered. DON'T BE A DRIVE-BY POSTER: As a common courtesy, check back in and reply within 24 hours, or your post will be deleted. Note there's decades of heavily experienced Guzzi professionals on this site, all whom happily give endless amounts of their VALUABLE time for free; BE COURTEOUS AND RESPECTFUL!
  • There is ZERO tolerance on personal attacks and ANY HYPERLINKS to PRODUCT(S) or other competing website(s), including personal pages, social media or other Forums. This ALSO INCLUDES ECU DIAGnostic software, questions and mapping. We work very hard to offer commercially supported products and to keep info relevant here. First offense is a note, second is a warning, third time will get you banned from the site. We don't have the time to chase repeat (and ignorant) offenders. This is NOT a social media platform; It's an ad-free, privately funded website, in small help with user donations. Be sure to see the GTM STORE link above; ALL product purchases help support the site, or you can upgrade your Forum profile or DONATE via the link above.
  • Be sure to see the GTM STORE link also above for our 700+ product inventory, including OEM parts and many of our 100% Made-in-SoCal-USA GTM products and engine kits. In SoCal? Click the SERVICE tab above for the best in service, tires, tuning and installation of our products or custom work, and don't miss our GT MotoCycles® (not) art on the BUILDS tab above. WE'RE HERE ONLINE ONLY - NO PHONE CALLS MADE OR RECEIVED - DO NOT EMAIL AND ASK QUESTIONS OR ASK TO CALL YOU.
  • Like the new V100, GuzziTech is full throttle into the future! We're now running on an all-new server and we've updated our Forum software. The visual differences are obvious, but hopefully you'll notice the super-fast speed. If you notice any glitches or have any issues, please post on the Site Support section at the bottom. If you haven't yet, please upgrade your account which is covered in the Site Support section or via the DONATE tab above, which gives you full site access including the DOWNLOADS section. We really appreciate every $ and your support to keep this site ad-free. Create an account, sign in, upgrade your account, and enjoy. See you on the road in 2024.

possible norge owner

M

motorat

Just got it firing!
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
3
Location
sonoma coast, california
i really like this bike when i saw it at the mc show in '07. my question to all of you is how reliable is it. do you have any issues with the low number of dealers around. would you hesitate to tour the lower 48.
thanks
 
Bought it in California drove 4500 miles first couple of weeks. It has never been to a dealer except when I got it from there. It is very easy to do maintenance just read up on the web if you are new to guzzi. I put 30000 miles on my Cali it set the hook in me and now my Dad. He now rides it to work almost every day.

This is what you need to know. Guzzi makes maybe 10000 bikes a year. They are basically hand made by a very small group of people. They are not infallible. They are not perfect, but if you love Guzzi it sticks with you and nothing else will do. Honda makes a million or so a year Harley makes over 300,000. There aren't 10,000 Norges in the world yet How many Gold Wings are in your home town? Your dealer support is right here on the web. If you use it you can always find help.
 
have had the norge about 5 months now, it has 11500 miles on it with no problems at all. Would not give a second thought about going cross country on it. Just go and don't worry about it. My nearest dealer is 75 miles away but my bike has not been there for service as I do my own which is very easy. Most fun bike i have owned.
 
I bought mine in July of '07 and took a 11,500 mile trip around the US this last August and September. Got the oil changed in PA (I live in OR) and replaced a couple of tires. It now has 18K on it and I am going to have a major service done at my local dealer this week. Bike ran great the whole trip.

Michael
 
Hello;

I have 6K on my Norge.. NO problems at all. Never left me stranded!!! Had the Fuel hose recall done at 1K breakin, Had the headlamp done at 6K breakin..... Did Nationals (Dallas to Malibu) and never had any problems... Flogged it all day long on the highway. Ran in stop and go traffic at 102 degrees in California... NEVER had a slightest hesitation....
 
pikehk wrote:
Bought it in California drove 4500 miles first couple of weeks.
Click to expand...
Hey Jay, how's the ride with the HP suspension bits?
Did you ever get the top box as promised?
 
sbaker wrote:
Hello;

I have 6K on my Norge.. NO problems at all. Never left me stranded!!! Had the Fuel hose recall done at 1K breakin, Had the headlamp done at 6K breakin..... Did Nationals (Dallas to Malibu) and never had any problems... Flogged it all day long on the highway. Ran in stop and go traffic at 102 degrees in California... NEVER had a slightest hesitation....
Click to expand...

*What* fuel hose recall?
 
Well, sorry, not the fuel hose per se. The Fuel Sender was not sending "full" to the guage. The fix is a new fuel pump/sender/filter/hoses assembly swap. SO in the process of doing that swap, we also noticed a upgrade for the fuel hose segment that was popping off in Griso's and EV due to too much alcohol in the fuel.

Now the fuel guage will actually read all the way to full! And the hose hasn't popped of either... :)
 
07 Norge bought in March from Moto International (MI) - two minor issues fixed by MI under warranty, initial and break in service done by them, low beam recall done about a month ago. Currently have just under 7K miles and have completed the 6250 mile service myself (parts from MI, VDSTS software from Guzzitech and Carbmate Synchronizer from AeroStitch). The bke is reliable, fast enough (beats out all of the cages in my locale) comfortable, gets good mileage and just works for me.

And I have to say after doing the 6250 mile service, that servicing is straight forward and an easy back yard mechanic item. Even getting the tank off is simple once you have someone like Micha at MI expalin it too you.
 
10000 miles on 07 bought in March 08. A couple of minor issues dealt with quickly under warranty, one prior to delivery when discovered by dealer on set up. Had dealer do 600 mile service, since then all by self. Zero riding time lost to mechanical issues. Any & all parts asked for arrived in 1-2 weeks, except for windshield motor which took a month because they were redesigning/upgrading it, a good thing. A great touring bike as it comes, made in to a terrific canyon carver without losing the open road goodness with rear end adjustments plus relatively inexpensive front end mods (HP springs & PD valve emulators via Guzzitech). Some are happy with suspension as it comes, some have achieved satisfactory results just by going to heavier front fork oil; upgraded rear suspension also available from HP if you decide you need it, I didn't. Also got the Breva lower seat-cause I'm short-and Givi top case-cause the stock top case has issues, even post recall, Givi has none. If you get a Norge, first thing cut back the rubber centerstand stop to almost nothing-takes 5 minutes tops, costs absolutely nothing, greatly helps ground clearance. I love it, expect to have it a long time. Get 45-50 mpg on trips, only slightly less around town, love the motor & butter-smooth tranny. Properly set up, motor is very smooth as well. See the rave review in the June 2007 Motorcycle Consumer News, a mag that takes no ads, hence can afford to be objective, compared favorably to BMW R1200RT. And that review bike was probably before the important rear end spring upgrade that happened early 2007 dates of manufacture. Overall rating was 4.5 out of 5 max. Lowest rating in ANY category was 4.
 
Hey Todd I did get my Top Box thanks to your close friend ;) The HP suspension is absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend it as a must have If you are thinking of getting a Norge. With the Hyperpro springs and shock you go from scraping the muffler and center stand to no scraping of any kind. You do lose the doughy cadillac ride, and the wallowing in the corners though. Now I just have to improve my skills The better suspension lets me get in over my head and still have the ground clearance to pull through.
 
Very good Jay, thanks for posting your thoughts on the HP springs & rear shock. Happy to help on the install.

motorat wrote:
what is the fastest color?
Click to expand...
Whatever color it is I'm riding at the time. ;)
Hopefully black cherry will be the color I am (re)painting mine soon.
 
RED !!!!!

Oh yea.... The Hyperpro rear shock is a MUST! ..... Install it from day 1.... The front fork upgrades are great too!!
 
motorat wrote:
what is the fastest color?
Click to expand...

What, already thinking of losing all your paint? :silly:

Sam - does your gauge read full immediately after filling up now? Mine seems to remain "stuck" longer nowadays, and tends to read 3/4 full rather than 7/8 as it used to, before jumping to completely full.

Motorat - try one, and you'll most likely be hooked! I read a lot of the glorious reviews when the bike was just out, written by some of the veterans of an ancestor of the current forum gave, which made me move the Norge to the top of my wanted list, even though it would be my first ever bike and would cost more than I was initially planning to spend. I had an hour to try a demo, and found her to everything I was expecting after reading all those posts. I reserved that demo bike straight away, and haven't regretted my decision (sometimes I regret taking up biking, as it tends to usurpate me :silly:)

If you do get hooked, follow the advice given here. Check if yours indeed has the newer, heavier rear spring. Check if there are no issues to be expected with the lowbeam cabling. Have the dealer put some loctite on the bolts of both stands. Check if no tabs are missing from the various parts of the fairing... and if the panniers aren't warped. Don't hesitate to file a claim immediately if either of those are the case - they're minor issues but just shouldn't occur on bikes in this category.

Avoid the specific topcase (unless you prefer its looks), and if you get a model that doesn't come with the side panniers, you could consider those made by Hepko & Becker, which don't warp and probably age better.
 
Bought my 1st Moto Guzzi, a red Norge [the fast one] in late May of '07. It now has 23000 miles. My only mechanical problem was a bad crimp fitting on the oil return line from the air box that leaked oil. The piece arrived in 4 days. I do all my own maintenance as this is a very easy bike to service compared to my previous ride, a K1200LT. The body work is a bit on the weak side but I overlook that because the rest of the bike is great. On my trip last summer from North Carolina to Oregon, Montana, Canada, and home my only maintenance problem was a loose front wheel weight. Since I mount and balance my own tires I have to look into the mirror to see the responsible party. In 5 weeks I rode 7500 miles in very high temps and used less than 1/2 qt. of oil, not bad for an air cooled engine.

As a side note, last week I had occasion to put 50 miles on a Concourse 14. Very nice bike, gobs of power, but not as nimble as the Norge. I'll stick with my Italian Stallion before I would go back to a UJM.

As others have stated put some money into the suspension. I have the HyperPro rear shock and will upgrade the front end this spring. IMHO the only weak point of the Norge is the '59 Cadillac suspension. Todd [racerX] is your source for these parts.
 
Brian UK wrote:
Strange, I find mine quite hard, I feel all the bumps in the road. Standard suspension, and early spring, but not as set on delivery.
Click to expand...
If you don't mind, what do you weigh(?), and where is your suspension adjusted. The range of the stock suspension, even with the newer rear spring is approx. 150~175 lbs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top