cam recall

[fatal]

at last the cam recall has been done, only taken five months to get it sorted. After months of bumbling incompetence and the Guzzi summer holiday go slow, the correct parts turned up, so I took the bike to the dealers 0830 on tuesday morning and finally got to pick it up this morning. I only had the chance to put 25 miles on today due to getting my latest bike taxed and tested (1990 BMW R100GS). It sure felt good being on the Guzzi again, off to northern Scotland on it next week for a few days touring.....bet it rains, which reminds me I must try to seal the speedo sensor wire.
If the weathers any good I'll take some photos and post them up.
A pic of the new bike.

 

[john zibell]

Hi Fatal,

Glad you got the Stelvio back. Nice GS, just keep a lookout for any drive shaft problems. About the only weak link on that bike due to the angle it is forced to operate at. A comparison write up would be interesting to read if you care to write one.

 

[fatal]

Thanks for your comments John. I'm aware of the shaft drive problem on the para lever BMWs. I traded in my R1150GS for the Stelvio, which I suppose would be a fairer comparison to the Stelvio.
I didn't get rid of my GS1150 because I had any problem with it, in fact over the six years ownership it was totally reliable, I just got bored with the bike and fancied a change. I'd always had a liking to Moto Guzzis and after visiting the factory on a bike trip to Italy last year I decided I wanted to buy either a Norge or a Stelvio. The Stelvio won because it reminded me in many ways of the virtues and looks of my GS1150. I would also like to point out that at no point did I ever fancy a GS1200, a bike which superceded the GS1150, but IMO was not as comfortable, felt relatively flimsey in build, and I just couldn't like it despite several test rides on various GS1200's over a couple of years.
I prefer the non ABS Brembo brakes on the Stelvio to the power assisted ABS brakes on the BMW, the Guzzi is definately faster,the adjustable screen is great, handling is on par to the GS, but the downside is the smaller fuel tank on the Stelvio, it's a bit thirstier and feels a bit more top heavy. Here in the UK there aren't many Moto Guzzi dealers and my local dealer leaves a lot to be desired. BMW parts are very easy to source I'm not so sure about Guzzi.
With regard to my new old R100GS, I bought this off my brother in law along with a very tatty 1969 Norton 650 Dominator. The GS used to belong to a friend who spent a considerable amount of money on it a few years ago. he sold it to my brother in law who for the best part of four years left it standing in his garage, he only did about 1000 miles in total on it. So I made an offer he couldn't refuse for both bikes. The R100 is very different in nature to the 1150, it feels more agricultural, I suppose it's pretty much the same when comparing Moto Guzzis that are 20 years or so apart.
I have to admit I do have a soft spot for the old air cooled BMWs, I used to own an R80/7, an R100S, and an R80ST. But generally I love most big twin cylinder bikes, I've also owned a couple of Harleys, a 750 Commando and an Aprilia Tuono.

Here's a photo of the Norton waiting to be turned into a Cafe racer and one of what I hope it will look like