In two days it will be exactly 1 year since purchasing my Griso 8V.
In that year I have managed to put 35,000 miles on it.
So the verdict is; I like it !
Being that I have been riding Japanese sportbikes since the mid 80's.
It took a little getting use to a bike that had actual handle bars and no rear-sets.
For the first few thousand miles; whenever the Griso hit it's powerband near redline.
I kept feeling like I was going to fall of the back.
But that feeling is now mostly gone.
It only reappears on a Monday after doing a trackday or a raceday with my race bike; an SV650S with Woodcraft clip-ons and rear-sets.
Comparing the Griso to my previous 2000 GSXR750.
At normal street speeds; my usual 10 to 20 mph over most posted limits.
I really don't see much difference in performance.
The way the Griso handles you would not know it's 100 lbs heavier than my GSXR.
For daily riding the only thing the Griso lacks when compared to the GSXR. Is the amount of acceleration.
And I only miss that acceleration about 10% of the time. Like pulling out onto a crowded interstate during rush hour.
With the GSXR it was simply a matter of twisting the throttle and getting to 80mph in first gear in just a couple seconds.
Whereas with the Griso it takes a couple more seconds and a couple gear shifts.
Don't get me wrong; the Griso is no slouch. It's acceleration will still impress you.
In many ways it feels like a faster version of my '86 Limited Edition GSXR750R.
For being an air-cooled V-Twin; it's got a really nice horsepower rush near it's redline.
And yet still has a huge amount of low rpms torque. And huge amount mid-range torque and horsepower.
In fact I would say the power delivery of the Griso 8V's motor is perfect for the street.
What the Griso lacks in performance compared to my GSXR; it more than makes up for in maintenance.
All I've been doing is changing the oils; motor, gearbox, and shaftdrive (CARC); every 3 to 4 thousand miles.
And checking the valves every 6k miles.
With those jugs sticking out in the open; valve checks are so much easier than any other motorcycle I have ever owned.
At this time in the life of my GSXR; it had left me stranded in the middle of Manhattan 60 miles away from home. Due to a burnt out stator.
Don't get me wrong. The Griso is not without it's flaws.
It's horn and high/low beam switches are in very awkward positions.
For the first 10,000 miles I was constantly giving people angry turn signal cancellations instead of the horn.
The high/low switch requires a nearly complete removal of your grip on the handlebar to switch between high and low beams.
The automatic fast-idle (aka choke) appears to have failed. Causing me to manually elevate it's idle with the throttle in cold (ie 40 degrees F or lower) weather for the first minute or two.
But I haven't looked into that yet. It may be a simple fix.
Besides I've had other vehicles on which the automatic fast-idle never worked quite right.
The biggest complaint I have about the Griso is it's suspension.
It's under sprung and over damped.
Half of it's travel is used just sitting static. And it gives a very harsh ride on less than perfect roads.
In fact on Thanksgiving Eve I hit a pothole while changing lanes.
And this bent both front and rear wheels; and split the sidewall of the front tire.
But to be fair; this very same pothole may have damaged any motorcycle. Because it bounces 18 wheelers.
Even with these flaws; the Griso still has me grinning from ear-to-ear every time I go for a ride.
Here's how it now looks:
(Badly in need of a washing. Sorry but I'd rather ride than bathe it. )
--ET
In that year I have managed to put 35,000 miles on it.
So the verdict is; I like it !
Being that I have been riding Japanese sportbikes since the mid 80's.
It took a little getting use to a bike that had actual handle bars and no rear-sets.
For the first few thousand miles; whenever the Griso hit it's powerband near redline.
I kept feeling like I was going to fall of the back.
But that feeling is now mostly gone.
It only reappears on a Monday after doing a trackday or a raceday with my race bike; an SV650S with Woodcraft clip-ons and rear-sets.
Comparing the Griso to my previous 2000 GSXR750.
At normal street speeds; my usual 10 to 20 mph over most posted limits.
I really don't see much difference in performance.
The way the Griso handles you would not know it's 100 lbs heavier than my GSXR.
For daily riding the only thing the Griso lacks when compared to the GSXR. Is the amount of acceleration.
And I only miss that acceleration about 10% of the time. Like pulling out onto a crowded interstate during rush hour.
With the GSXR it was simply a matter of twisting the throttle and getting to 80mph in first gear in just a couple seconds.
Whereas with the Griso it takes a couple more seconds and a couple gear shifts.
Don't get me wrong; the Griso is no slouch. It's acceleration will still impress you.
In many ways it feels like a faster version of my '86 Limited Edition GSXR750R.
For being an air-cooled V-Twin; it's got a really nice horsepower rush near it's redline.
And yet still has a huge amount of low rpms torque. And huge amount mid-range torque and horsepower.
In fact I would say the power delivery of the Griso 8V's motor is perfect for the street.
What the Griso lacks in performance compared to my GSXR; it more than makes up for in maintenance.
All I've been doing is changing the oils; motor, gearbox, and shaftdrive (CARC); every 3 to 4 thousand miles.
And checking the valves every 6k miles.
With those jugs sticking out in the open; valve checks are so much easier than any other motorcycle I have ever owned.
At this time in the life of my GSXR; it had left me stranded in the middle of Manhattan 60 miles away from home. Due to a burnt out stator.
Don't get me wrong. The Griso is not without it's flaws.
It's horn and high/low beam switches are in very awkward positions.
For the first 10,000 miles I was constantly giving people angry turn signal cancellations instead of the horn.
The high/low switch requires a nearly complete removal of your grip on the handlebar to switch between high and low beams.
The automatic fast-idle (aka choke) appears to have failed. Causing me to manually elevate it's idle with the throttle in cold (ie 40 degrees F or lower) weather for the first minute or two.
But I haven't looked into that yet. It may be a simple fix.
Besides I've had other vehicles on which the automatic fast-idle never worked quite right.
The biggest complaint I have about the Griso is it's suspension.
It's under sprung and over damped.
Half of it's travel is used just sitting static. And it gives a very harsh ride on less than perfect roads.
In fact on Thanksgiving Eve I hit a pothole while changing lanes.
And this bent both front and rear wheels; and split the sidewall of the front tire.
But to be fair; this very same pothole may have damaged any motorcycle. Because it bounces 18 wheelers.
Even with these flaws; the Griso still has me grinning from ear-to-ear every time I go for a ride.
Here's how it now looks:
(Badly in need of a washing. Sorry but I'd rather ride than bathe it.
)
--ET
