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Why ride a Guzzi anyway?

GrahamNZ

High Miler
Joined
Feb 17, 2009
Messages
618
Location
Wellington New Zealand
Ok 3akok, here is the old chestnut again - with an added bit.

Why ride a Guzzi anyway?

A few years back I was lucky enough to drive a horse-drawn cart. We were on a four- day boutique-tramp on the NZ Wairarapa coast, and staying at the same starting-point farm were a group of horse-drawn carts and wagons doing a trek. Over a few evening-wines we were offered the drive of a cart the following day, an experience too good to pass on.

Early next morning a Clydesdale-drawn cart arrived at our cabin and I climbed onto the driver's bench seat beside the owner and was handed the reins. Dobin, or whatever he was called, responded to the owner's word and off we set along a gravel winding road at a gentle walk. At first there was little sensation of the horse's strength, but soon we came to a gentle rise and now I could feel his muscle-pull at each stride, and feel how his strength ebbed as the rise continued. Cresting it, the descent also had the horse's strength fed back to me as he provided braking for the cart. Back on the flat his gait increased to a trot and the cart seemed to flow along effortlessly and smoothly until the next rise made the horse's strength pulse back through the cart to me.

Riding a Guzzi always reminds me of that horse. To feel it's power strokes when pulling and its easy lope when cruising has the big vee-twin communicate its soul to you in a way no buzzing or overly-smooth engine can ever do. And the way it talks to you with a small cant to the right each time you blip the throttle at rest and when changing down through the 'box is a sensual delight only a transverse twin can give. These are bikes with enchanting engines like no other. That they look awesome, are made of solid oak and handle like thoroughbreds are added icing on a rich cake indeed. I'm happy to endure a few shortcomings for all that, and to dismiss negative criticism from those who simply don't know.

I've experienced many bikes in my 48 (now 50!) years of riding, many technically excellent, fast and with fine handling, but none that come close to a Guzzi in terms of tactile charm. Just sorry it took me 43 years to discover them.

Graham

Now for the extra bit

So If I wrote and believed that at the time, and still do, why do I also ride a Buell? For many of the same reasons but the feeling is very different. My XB12Ss is a rather small, light bike with a rather large, powerful and extremely torquey engine, which is also rubber mounted, making it considerably smoother than the Guzzi once above about 2,000rpm and then all the way to the 7,000rpm rev-limit. The torque spread is awesome compared to my Guzzi and the Buell will pull strongly and willingly from 2,000rpm and like a little bull from 3,000rpm. It isn’t beautiful in a Guzzi way but it is super-cute and technically amazingly-different. Most important to me though, is the way it makes me smile just to look at it and it is more fun to ride than any other bike I’ve experienced. Put simply, My Breva is a “better” bike but the Buell is a lot more fun.

Graham
 
I did a trail ride with my grand daughter in Virginia. Mounted on an old trail horse I wasn't expecting much excitement. I could not believe the power a horse has when going up hill, kind of like a real big, slow turning V-twin. I can see why you can equate a horse to a Guzzi. I am in the process of restoring an early 60's Honda 150 dream. Got to be one of the ugliest bikes made, but do have a charm about them. Can't imagine the feel of the parallel twin will match that of a Guzzi.
Spring is around the corner, can't wait to get the Norge back on the Tarmac.
 
3ackok wrote:
Graham,
Thanks for reposting this piece. It is a beautiful way to describe Guzzi experience.

ditto

as for the Buell, yes the overall impression I get is of a unique bike with plenty of low down torque - I just can't get over the fact its a harley... :dry:
 
Came down to the Norge and a Buell Ulysses for me. Norge got my money. Simply a delight every time.

That said, the waves and waves of torque on a Buell will leave grinning.
 
I'll chime in here as well. Why ride a guzzi? well if you want something that's reasonably "sporty" (in North America that means i.e. not a harley or harley cruiser-clone riding with your knees above your chin)... and if you don't want a bland (but technologically perfect) Japanes bike.... And if the too-perfect (and expensive) beemers just don't rock your boat... and if desmodromic valves are just waaay too much trouble, and you don't need a ducati anyway.... well, you're kind of left with a few options from some of the smaller motorbike companies in europe, like MG, triumph and KTM... - I've recently had triumphs and still own a KTM640 - totally different than the guzzi. But also totally different from anything else on the road. If you live where I do, where you have 500 km of straight roads to get to the twisties, the Breva is perfect. It's not quite as much fun as a superduke on the twisties, (but nothing is), but it's still reasonably quick in the mountain hairpins. And it's also planted bullet-proof in 100 km/h crosswinds when trucks pass me on the transcanada or some US interstate.

So if I want a bike that is a bit "different", looks sexy, is comfy and driveable at high speeds two-up on the autoroute in crosswinds, and is still fun when I get to the mountains, what else should I have bought other than my Breva V11?? I'm not being rhetorical, what else would have filled all my needs and not overlapped with my totally uncomfortable, high revving, vibratory and totally nuts KTM?? For me, it was my red italian beauty!

3 cm of snow overnight, will spring never come to the prairies?
 
When you're young you ride everything that will let you climb on. You grow up, in my case a little, and realize it the quality of the ride not the quantity of rides. so you get married to the Guzzi.
 
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