• 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.

About to purchase Griso - questions...

R

rfreddy

Just got it firing!
Joined
Oct 10, 2012
Messages
2
I am very close to purchasing a 2012 Griso left over.. and i wanted to bounce a question off the experts on the forum...

How does this bike run - in its stock form?

Does this motorcycle .. as designed and engineered at the factory.. actually work.. .and run reliably.... or is this a bike that requires - "set up" ?

I do not want to buy a motorcycle that requires me to start altering the airbox, cut the pink wire, eliminate the brown plug, re map, etc... just to ride it...

i don't plan on adding any accessories...

i have some familiarity with Italian bikes - i own an Aprilia RSV 1000 and a Ducati 748 ... and both of those bikes have been reliable and have run well - right off the show room floor...
i have some other bikes - Honda CRF250X ... Triumph Scrambler ... that absolutely require a mechanic to adjust the initial factory setup - just to make the bike run smoothly and start easily..

any advice would be appreciated...

I live in NJ... closest Guzzi dealers (that i would deal with) are New Haven Powersports in CT ... or Ferracci in PA... I trust them mboth - but neither are convenient ... so i am reluctant to buy something that requires a few trips to the dealer to set up for riding...
 
My answers in bold below:

rfreddy said:
I am very close to purchasing a 2012 Griso left over.. and i wanted to bounce a question off the experts on the forum...

How does this bike run - in its stock form?

No complaints here. It has a personality of its own and will fit in with the other two in your stable.

Does this motorcycle .. as designed and engineered at the factory.. actually work.. .and run reliably.... or is this a bike that requires - "set up" ?

I'd say yes. I don't think my dealer did much in the way of setup, but the bike was smooth and strong from day one. No reliability issues, but mine's still new. The consensus seems to be that the new ones are pretty well sorted from the factory, but a good dealer will make sure.

I do not want to buy a motorcycle that requires me to start altering the airbox, cut the pink wire, eliminate the brown plug, re map, etc... just to ride it...

The stock tuning is very good and a lot of riders, me included, leave well enough alone. You don't HAVE to do anything, but those looking for a little extra jam can get help here.

i don't plan on adding any accessories...

That's cool. I got an M-G flyscreen to keep water out of the dash and reduce wind a little at cruising speed and saddlebags for light touring, but you don't NEED anything to ride and enjoy.

i have some familiarity with Italian bikes - i own an Aprilia RSV 1000 and a Ducati 748 ... and both of those bikes have been reliable and have run well - right off the show room floor...
i have some other bikes - Honda CRF250X ... Triumph Scrambler ... that absolutely require a mechanic to adjust the initial factory setup - just to make the bike run smoothly and start easily..

See above. I think you'll be happy with the stock bike, but those who feel the need to squeeze out the last drop of performance have options.

any advice would be appreciated...

I live in NJ... closest Guzzi dealers (that i would deal with) are New Haven Powersports in CT ... or Ferracci in PA... I trust them mboth - but neither are convenient ... so i am reluctant to buy something that requires a few trips to the dealer to set up for riding...
Click to expand...
 
rfreddy - if you haven't already, read the "is anyone happy with their stock Griso" thread. You will find a full spectrum of opinions there.
 
If your dealer knows what he is doing then the bike should run well. But if he does not then it may or may not run well. It becomes a crap shoot as the PDI & set up is fairly important. Buying from a good dealer is better then buying from the dealer with the best price unless you want to do the PDI & set up yourself.
But I gotta say, if you want a motorcycle that just runs and requires little to no input or attention from you then you may not be happy with a Guzzi. In my opinion they are more of a relationship then an ownership experience.
It is nothing like an Aprilia but it is somewhat equivalent to the Ducati in terms of build and engineering level. But it is more of a hand built bike then either.
 
Mine has been basically faultless and a turn-key proposition since new. It's now got nearly 60,000km on it.

There are only a few things that are likely to cause problems, the commonest of which and the one that causes the most complaints is the failure of some dealerships to reform a basic throttle body sync and TPS re-set which can lead to snatchy delivery of power at small throttle openings and a high an/or erratic idle. If the bike is tuned correctly it will run just fine.

Spark plug boots/caps are fragile and care needs to be taken with them.

The swingarm bearings and shock linkage bearings are woefully under-greased and I strongly recommend packing them correctly early in the piece. Once this has been done they should last well.

GuzziMoto speaks the truth when he says that buying from a dealer with a good reputation and knowledge of the bikes will deliver far greater benefits than simply looking for the cheapest price. Choose carefully.

Pete
 
If you are interested in a low mileage 2007 Griso 1100 that has factory warranty until June 2013, located 2 hours south of FBF. Send me a PM
 
I fully support Petes and Guzzimotos opinions and a Guzzi is not a Honda Cab.
Healing hands (dealers or your own) which know what to do are really helpful and in case of urgency mandatory.

A further point: Guzzis product finish depends imho extremely on how much Grappa Luigi-the-one-man-factory the day before had pumped off... While assembling mine he must have had a terrible headache.

But finally – despite all drawbacks – riding a guzzi is feeling alive.
 
Yea, I agree. I should have added the positive aspect of owning a Guzzi. For those who get them, for those that put in the extra effort to keep that relationship a happy one, riding one is unlike riding any other bike. They are "alive", they are a different riding experience. In some ways like the Ducati, but more reliable (and more industrial).
Compared to the Ducati and the Aprilia they are way over built.
 
can't add much to what's already been said here, but i bought a 2012 griso this spring and it's all been good so far. the only thing that required some hands-on attention was the suspension. as delivered it had way too much compression damping for me; it was hard as a rock at both ends (and i like suspension on the firm side). but the plus side is, if you make the adjustments it comes good - i really don't see any need for aftermarket stuff, and i'm spoiled by ohlins on a couple other bikes.

the only other thing i would add is that i wouldn't rule out eurosports in coopersburg, pa for your purchase. they've been my long time aprilia dealer (i also have an rsv1000) and started carrying guzzi about 2 years or so ago. bill and mark in the service department there are excellent mechanics.

where ever you end up, good luck.
 
thanks for the input...

i think New Haven is the dealer for me... Chris seems to know what he is selling... and i have been a customer there for a while...

i have decided to wait to see what the 2013 colors are.... it is fairly easy to find a 2012 leftover.. i may be pleasantly surprised with a new color - or completely incensed if i buy the black one now and love the next color that comes out this winter...
 
According to the dealer where I bought mine (last month) the 13's will only come in the black devil combo..
 
Cage Free said:
According to the dealer where I bought mine (last month) the 13's will only come in the black devil combo..
Click to expand...
That's what I was told as well. I too was contemplating waiting for the 13 model but decided to pull the trigger on a 2012 Black Devil mainly coz I didn't want to miss the fall riding season. No one, including Piaggio cust serv could tell me when the 2013 models would come in and what the change (if any) would be. Plus, I had managed to negotiate the price down by $1k.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top