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Guzzi = Exotica

:D Over here in the UK, the only thing that Lancia's were famous for, was that their engines used to drop out due to mega severe rusting bodywork. It gave the marque such a bad reputation, that they stopped selling them in the UK back in the mid 80's!
 
Well, I remember British exotica from the same epoch of which it was said one could never be sure the car would make it off the estate :twisted:
 
Well I failed English in Junior High School because I spent too much time studying "Two Wheels" instead of some bloke called Duel Arsed Siezure. See it wasn't a woman who first asked, "Does my bum look big in this"? Anyway, I must have seen a picture of a Guzzi (canno r'member). Dirt bikes thru the mid 70's and then got a 550 Four but drooled and dreamed and fantasized over a Mk1 Le Mans like a fat kid over a smarty (sugar coated chocolate lolly).

Mid eighties I quit a 10 year career (pain in the arse) and collected long service leave and super in cash. I raced down to the local Honda dealer and placed an order for an Exotic (?) CB1100R Castrol Six-Hour special (that's a race, not how long they last). Well my Honda fantasy lasted about that long. Went to see a mate to boast about my latest acquisition and got berated and abused for being stupid.

Rob and I had spent many an hour discussing what we would buy if we could afford it, he had once owned a Ducati 500 parrallel twin. I had once ridden a Ducati 750 so we both understood (or at least aspired to) Italian motoring philosophy. So my day of extreme excitement ended with tail between legs and a promise to go ride a brand new MKIII Le mans, if I could find one.

The next day I rode into the Honda dealer on my new red Moto Guzzi. But you already guessed that.
Since then I have had Mandello marrow in my bones, have owned plenty more Jap bikes in the mix, but they are only brief flirtations. True love can not be extinguished.

I've been building a 500cc 2 stroke twin for the last couple of years, just been offered permanent and free use of an Aprilia RS250 to quell my non riding anguish. Not interested, just want a Guzzi!
 
But why?? :side:

And what was that special something that made the MKIII put the six inline smoothy Honda out of the picture?
Vibes? Ability to turn? Soundtrack? All together?
From what I hear the six inline CB was it's own class of a bike, not just another 4 cylinder UJM.
Do not forget this is a self psychoanalyzing thread! :roll:
 
The CBX was the six cylinder, I had a brief flirtation with one of those about a year before. The CB1100R was an extension of the old 900 Bol'Dor 4 cylinder, it was the first faired production race bike from Honda. Way back then in Australia we had an endurance race series, the season finale' was a six hour race at Amaroo in Sydney. Many manufacturers started producing "specials" as limited editions.

The MKIII was my first experience of a bike with character/soul etc, I know that is such a well flogged cliche' but how else am I supposed to describe it. Remeber my first post, I failed the English language at junior high level. I had done many a high speed trip on Honda fours, Yamaha XS1100, Suzuki GS1000S, CX500's, XJ650 etc. A 1000km trip would normaly take 16 hours, always so stuffed and taking long breaks. Did many track days and flogging around mountains, thought I was fast.

From the first ride the Guzzi was different, I LIKE DIFFERENT! Can't remember much else but took a chance and bought it. A short time later I went for a bit of a hoot late one night, ended up 1000km away in less than 12 hours.
The ride home a day later took 8 hours and 45 minutes, but to be fair I had a Police escort .................. sort of. They were a little bit behind. :whistle: Did other trips on that first MK111 like, 2200km in 25 hours then contemplated taking a sicky coz Darwin was only another 1300km away and I wanted to keep on riding.

I'm 54 next week so don't push myself like that anymore, but the 5, oops now 6 Guzzi's I've had just seem to put a smile on my face like no other bike can, and wash away the cares of this world. Last Guzzi was a Cali Stone, best trip was 8000Km in 16 days and all mountains. Continually berated by sports bike riders for riding it too fast, I was comfortable and the Cali was unflustered, so why do I need a painful monotinous crotch rocket?

Carboned psychodelic bling screams "look at me" to make people feel good. A Guzzi makes ME, feel good!
 
Hi,

yes, Guzzi IS exotic.
We (me and my lovely wife) have bin on a 4 (!) week holyday through France, Italy, the island Corsica, back to Italy, Switserland, Germany and back home again.
We have seen many motorbikes. Many Japs (touring, chopper, racing), hunderts of Bmw's and a several dozen British (Triumph).
During these four weeks, only 10 to 15 Guzzi, only one Griso (a 1100).

Last weekend, a little trip to Berlin. Our daughter, son-in-law and grand daughter are living there.
There was a motor bike event, a ride for respect, organised by Harley Berlin and others.
Nice weather, many, many bikes, good atmosphere. Most of them were Harley, but others too.
Japanese choppers and so, Bmw's, Triumph, Duc.
But... no Guzzi... not one...
That means -----> exotic... very exotic.

The guzzis are waiting for the ride to Mandello del Lario, THE ride to a birthday party... YEAH!!
Ad B
 
When I first looked into buying a new Guzzi they weren't even available in Canada.That certainly made them seem exotic.Against all advice I bought a Ducati-they were supposed to be maintence nightmares and money pits. 70,000 kms later she proved everyone wrong.
New bike itch brought me back to Moto Guzzi, and the 1200 Sport is as reliable as a rock. It's exotic and archaic at the same time.A cool combination that scares the Honda/Harley crowd. I'm good with that.
 
Just found out that it seems that V7R is considered an exotic machine too:
"2011 Long Beach International Motorcycle Show Picture 25 of 25"
"One of the newest features at IMS is the Dream Pavilion where you can find exotic bikes of all makes and models on display."
LB-IMS-DREAM-PAVILION.jpg

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/78115...Long-Beach-International-Motorcycle-Show.aspx

I always thought that the small blocks are aaaaaalmost exotic but not fully getting there however fancy they are dressed or nice they indeed look (this goes also for the V35 I mention on the first post - there is "something" special but it was a fuzzy feeling blended in the "people's bike" mentality of that machine).
What do V7 guys think?
 
I was riding BSA's & Triumphs & had never heard of a Guzzi. One day a friend rides in on a V750 Ambassador dressed out. I was not impressed it was just another road hog with a strange name. My brother took it for a ride and was gone 3 hours. The only thing he said was: "That's a F@@@@@@G motorcycle". Less than a year later I bought one while sitting in a bar. I didn't want it because it was a Guzzi I just wanted it as a curiosity. By the end of the year I owned two of them & the BSA's, Triumphs & Harleys started to disappear from the shop. I have never owned another brand since 1971. Smooth, powerful, dependable, easy to work on, forgives a lot of rider errors, handles like no other machine, even the old loops handled better than most any bike in that time. If you have a Guzzi & a good wife you are truly blessed. I have three Guzzi's and a great wife.
Trout
 
The only way I see to supersede this kind of luck is becoming muslim so you can have 3 wives to match the 3 Guzzis! :D
Me, I have the wife but I miss the Guzzi!
 
Mi_ka said:
The only way I see to supersede this kind of luck is becoming muslim so you can have 3 wives to match the 3 Guzzis! :D
Me, I have the wife but I miss the Guzzi!
Click to expand...

One wife is enough, thank you, I understand & speak Guzzi.

Come to think about it Guzzi is always sexy & beautiful, very forgiving and can be quite logical & business like when appropriate. Maybe I am muslim and didn't know it.
 
Mi_ka

I likeTrouts philosophy;I must ask how do you get on with out a bike??.......... I've been told No Guzzi, No Fuzzy......So guess what, looks like the Sport's here to stay. :p
 
I have a faithful happy mule DR650 waiting for me to be able to afford a burned clutch change to have me entertained again.
Main trouble for me is that even if I could afford the acquisition of a beautiful Guzzi horse, the regular running stabling expenses of this horse would kill my bankrupt economics and I would end up owning a beautiful stationary sculpture to imagine riding... So I have started to look to other practical mule solution like expecting the latest honda twin & gizmoed mule entering the used market segment. :|
But this Griso 1100 haunts my riding dreams :woohoo:
I cannot find a proper smiley for the possibility of a trouble free 8V
 
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