Renevator
Just got it firing!
Hi folks. Just introducing myself. I've recently acquired a rather lovely 2009 Griso 1100, and as you can guess, I'm enjpying the beginnings of what I hope will be a long ownership.
I've had a VFR750FR (interceptor as its known in The USA I understand) for 14 years, and it's been utterly brilliant. I won't bore you with the details, suffice to say the VFR has been completely stripped for a long term rebuild/custom project and as I had some savings, and recently secured a good job, I thought it was time I treated myself . So I started to look for something different to get me back on 2 wheels after a few years off.
Ive looked at all sorts, Japanese, German, British, and Italian, and although I've always thought the Griso a fabulous looking bike, I'd never really seriously considered it as an option, or rather thought it out of my reach. Then I saw this gorgeous red one on eBay and bought it.
I've had a couple of Le Mans 2's back in the 80's, so have always had a soft spot for the marque, and whilst I will never part with the VFR, having another Guzzi makes me feel like I've returned to my youth again, in some sense, and certainly makes me feel proud to own one.
I've been extraordinarily lucky to find this Griso. I only looked at this one, and I could not have bought better. It's a credit to the previous owner, utterly immaculate, with the initial add on's I would have wanted, all included in the sale. It's barely run in at 12,000 miles, and with that Termi sounds as gorgeous as it looks. The photos were taken from my viewing, so you can see why I bought it
I've only used it for a few days commuting, taking it easy, getting to know how it rides, feels and responds, but I've been surprised by a few things.
First off, it's way lighter and more manoeverable than I expected. The first time I rode a LeMans it felt like a bargeboard under water in comparison to the nimble GPZ550 I had before, so I was expecting the Griso to feel a fair bit longer, heavier and slower steering than my VFR, but it doesn't at all. I was also expecting the riding position and small screen to offer much less wind protection than it does. I thought riding at anything faster than 70mph would be hard work on my neck muscles, but again, it isn't. I feel quite comfortable at 90mph, even though I get buffeted more than with a faired bike.
Another aspect I'm surprised about is the engine. It doesn't feel like an 1100, and feels slower than the VFR. Obviously it's got a bit less BHP and delivers that power in a totally different way, and it's deceiving just how quickly it gets up speed. I love the way it makes progress without a lot of fluster, just a wonderful spread of torque with the accompanying stupendous soundtrack
It does drink fuel if you ride at 90-100 though doesn't it !!
Today I managed to get a couple of hours fettlung to set it up better for me. I felt the bars put my hands in an odd twisted in position, so rotated them back towards the seat, getting my hand flatter and straighter which I prefer. In doing so I had to move the throttle cables to exit under the bars because on full left lock they were stretching over the master cylinder with the bars raked back. It seems ok like this, but do let me know if I've committed a cardinal sin in resetting the bars. Ultimately I think I'd prefer slightly narrower, lower bars. sportier but still comfy, so interested to hear of anyone who has done a bar conversion.
The suspension settings from previous owner are way too hard for me, lightweight that I am. I've not been able to get some one else to help me set static and rider sag today, so it will all need a proper set up very soon, to help give me confidence in the handling.
If anyone has some base settings for an approx 70kg rider I'd be interested to know. I'm working on setting the sag to 30-35mm rear and min 30mm front and taking it from there with factory compression and rebound settings and then making adjustments from there to fine tune it. It will be interesting to see just how "right" I can get the Griso to feel for me. the cheats way of course would be to hand it over to Maxton and get it al, set up with some of their fabulous kit, but that's a few years down the line I reckon.
As it is, I love it. It's got it's quirks for sure, the shaft drive although light years ahead of my old LeMans takes some getting used to over super smooth chain, it isn't as easily practical as the VFR, just needs more thought, but it's got character in abundance, is plenty fast enough for this old coot, rides beautifully even now, and looks so damn fine! I'm so glad they haven't completely ironed out the essential Guzzi character like the original LeMans, in the way it gently rocks on tickover and generally feels and sounds alive and not just efficient. It's given me a lot of owner satisfaction already, and I've not even scratched the surface of possibilities with this fabulous motorcycle.
I'm so chuffed to be a Guzzi owner again
Great forum too
I've had a VFR750FR (interceptor as its known in The USA I understand) for 14 years, and it's been utterly brilliant. I won't bore you with the details, suffice to say the VFR has been completely stripped for a long term rebuild/custom project and as I had some savings, and recently secured a good job, I thought it was time I treated myself . So I started to look for something different to get me back on 2 wheels after a few years off.
Ive looked at all sorts, Japanese, German, British, and Italian, and although I've always thought the Griso a fabulous looking bike, I'd never really seriously considered it as an option, or rather thought it out of my reach. Then I saw this gorgeous red one on eBay and bought it.
I've had a couple of Le Mans 2's back in the 80's, so have always had a soft spot for the marque, and whilst I will never part with the VFR, having another Guzzi makes me feel like I've returned to my youth again, in some sense, and certainly makes me feel proud to own one.
I've been extraordinarily lucky to find this Griso. I only looked at this one, and I could not have bought better. It's a credit to the previous owner, utterly immaculate, with the initial add on's I would have wanted, all included in the sale. It's barely run in at 12,000 miles, and with that Termi sounds as gorgeous as it looks. The photos were taken from my viewing, so you can see why I bought it
I've only used it for a few days commuting, taking it easy, getting to know how it rides, feels and responds, but I've been surprised by a few things.
First off, it's way lighter and more manoeverable than I expected. The first time I rode a LeMans it felt like a bargeboard under water in comparison to the nimble GPZ550 I had before, so I was expecting the Griso to feel a fair bit longer, heavier and slower steering than my VFR, but it doesn't at all. I was also expecting the riding position and small screen to offer much less wind protection than it does. I thought riding at anything faster than 70mph would be hard work on my neck muscles, but again, it isn't. I feel quite comfortable at 90mph, even though I get buffeted more than with a faired bike.
Another aspect I'm surprised about is the engine. It doesn't feel like an 1100, and feels slower than the VFR. Obviously it's got a bit less BHP and delivers that power in a totally different way, and it's deceiving just how quickly it gets up speed. I love the way it makes progress without a lot of fluster, just a wonderful spread of torque with the accompanying stupendous soundtrack
It does drink fuel if you ride at 90-100 though doesn't it !!
Today I managed to get a couple of hours fettlung to set it up better for me. I felt the bars put my hands in an odd twisted in position, so rotated them back towards the seat, getting my hand flatter and straighter which I prefer. In doing so I had to move the throttle cables to exit under the bars because on full left lock they were stretching over the master cylinder with the bars raked back. It seems ok like this, but do let me know if I've committed a cardinal sin in resetting the bars. Ultimately I think I'd prefer slightly narrower, lower bars. sportier but still comfy, so interested to hear of anyone who has done a bar conversion.
The suspension settings from previous owner are way too hard for me, lightweight that I am. I've not been able to get some one else to help me set static and rider sag today, so it will all need a proper set up very soon, to help give me confidence in the handling.
If anyone has some base settings for an approx 70kg rider I'd be interested to know. I'm working on setting the sag to 30-35mm rear and min 30mm front and taking it from there with factory compression and rebound settings and then making adjustments from there to fine tune it. It will be interesting to see just how "right" I can get the Griso to feel for me. the cheats way of course would be to hand it over to Maxton and get it al, set up with some of their fabulous kit, but that's a few years down the line I reckon.
As it is, I love it. It's got it's quirks for sure, the shaft drive although light years ahead of my old LeMans takes some getting used to over super smooth chain, it isn't as easily practical as the VFR, just needs more thought, but it's got character in abundance, is plenty fast enough for this old coot, rides beautifully even now, and looks so damn fine! I'm so glad they haven't completely ironed out the essential Guzzi character like the original LeMans, in the way it gently rocks on tickover and generally feels and sounds alive and not just efficient. It's given me a lot of owner satisfaction already, and I've not even scratched the surface of possibilities with this fabulous motorcycle.
I'm so chuffed to be a Guzzi owner again
Great forum too
