Advice appreciated.

239desmo

239desmo

Is it nearly bedtime?
Conscious of a lack of anything modern (i.e. in one piece which I can ride at the drop of a hat rather than a collection of parts on a garage floor) I have been looking around at possibilities.
Am tempted with the new Bonnie/Scrambler/Thruxton but I can't get past Italian.
Fed up with chains so that leaves Guzzi.
Has anyone had any experience good/bad with the newish Guzzis.
I was tempted with a Breva a couple of years ago and am not looking for a Norge/Cali size thing.
Any dealers in Scotland anyone could recommend to deal with?
Any other alternatives welcome.
Cheers.
 
239desmo said:
Any dealers in Scotland anyone could recommend to deal with?
Any other alternatives welcome.
Cheers.
Click to expand...

Aye, Ducati Glasgow!

Go and buy yourself a new GT and stop being a fudd :thumbs:

Shaft drive indeed :lol2:

You're welcome :D
 
Friend of our is onto his third brand new Guzzi Griso 4 valver. However this is not by choice.

To start with he service he received from the dealer up by Fife, can't remember the name, was dreadful. He completed the required mileage and then phoned to book his first service only to be told there was a six week waiting list.

Following the service there was a distinct clunking so they replaced it with the shaft drive from another Griso which was in the showroom. The clunking continued and they finally gave him a brand new bike. This guy repairs and build bikes for a living so he was in a good position to argue his case.

A few weeks later, 240 miles later, he was knocked off his bike at low speed by a car doing a u-turn in front of him. The damage caused was startling for such a low speed impact. The engine crankcases were sheered and the body work shattered. It was a write off.

On to bike number three and he is still not happy with the service or the quality of the bike.

He had wanted this bike for a long time and it is the first brand new bike he has bought since the 70's so you can imagine how gutted he is.

If you're interested I'll get the name of the dealer.
 
Stewart, I had a Norge for a very short period of time, build quality is poor and it was back at dealers as much as it was ridden. I can't fault the dealer, they did their bit but the bike just wasn't up to modern standards. Given where you are and distance from a local dealer I'd avoid!

As you know i ended up with the GS, put off buying a bm for years and bitterly regret it, the bike is easy to look after, the one fault it has had, knackered battery, involved me calling the recovery who went out of their way to pick a new battery up and bring it with them, i sat at home drinking coffee whilst they did that, they came here and fitted it and left me a replacement lead for the fuel pump ( GS owner site said they fail, so far it hasn't!). Honestly, i can't fault the bike, service by recovery or dealer.

Take a look at one of the R spec bikes, maybe an 850R if you want something a bit older, R1200R is newer and got a great review on one of the mags last year. These bikes can do everything, comfy yet still with enough grunt to have fun.

ok, its bm and all that goes with it but if its simply ease of use, versatility and just being able to ride without worrying about breakdowns you won't go far wrong plus when it gets older its a doddle to service yourself with loads of pattern parts available.
 
dont listen to gizmo, he's been taking to much ovaltine at night, i have to agree with scottch on this one.

one other piece of advice is cut to holes in a paper bag then put it over your head, it wont help you find a bike, but it will make you a bit easier on the eye:lol2:
 
I agree with Scott as well, I would go for a SportClassic. Fit a Scottoiler or just put a bit money aside for new chain & sprockets. They look good and it's tried and tested mechanicals + a good dealer network.

Same engine as my bike - it's great fun at legal speeds (and beyond, or so they tell me, your honor).
 
I had an 1100 Sport for a few years, just after they changed from Carb to Fuel Inj.

I certainly enjoyed it, and didn't have any problems. I even managed to squeeze in a trip to Switzerland on it at one point.

Admittedly, it was sometimes a bit of chore to ride on the wrong type of roads though due to its' weight and suuuper-long wheelbase.
 
Thanks Hindsight, was wondering if anyone had anything good to say about them! :lol2:
It's not the cost of the chain it's the faffing about with cleaning and adjusting and the crud all over the place with them.
I have enough maintenance with the old stuff that I really would like one bike that just needs air in the tyres and petrol and ride it.
Scott..cheers mate!:lol2:
Mary...sounds like I need the name of the dealer if only not to go there!:eek:
Michael......have a couple of clients who swear by the 800 traillie thingy but.........not sure I can sell my soul just yet......well....
Gordon............good shout :D.......you :jerkoff: :p:lol2:
Miles........I know but I am developing chain paranoia.:o
 
cough, 1100 sport was pre Piaggio era, I'd consider a daytona but wouldn't touch a modern one again :)

don't be fooled by the image Stewart, i was for too many years, take one for a test ride and forget the preconceptions, judge it on what it is and what the dealer can provide, sensible option i know but with 2 laverdas you've got enough headaches :D
 
Are you looking for modern retro style?
If so then the sportclassic range is probably the most eye catching,the S is probably the most uncomfortable bike I've ever had, not an issue for me (yet) but it is for some, the GT may be right up your street and I know you've seen borderducs.
If the retro thing doesn't bother you theres always a monster y'know,the aircooled engines are fairly robust and you have a swathe of styles from the classic (get the newest ie one though) through the SR types (my favourite) to the new ones(ugly ginger step child style though:p).
This weeks rag has the new Moto Morini scrambler that may also interest you,at £10k it may be a bit pricey for what it is.
 
239desmo said:
Conscious of a lack of anything modern (i.e. in one piece which I can ride at the drop of a hat rather than a collection of parts on a garage floor) I have been looking around at possibilities.
Am tempted with the new Bonnie/Scrambler/Thruxton but I can't get past Italian.
Fed up with chains so that leaves Guzzi.
Has anyone had any experience good/bad with the newish Guzzis.
I was tempted with a Breva a couple of years ago and am not looking for a Norge/Cali size thing.
Any dealers in Scotland anyone could recommend to deal with?
Any other alternatives welcome.
Cheers.
Click to expand...

Buy a new Fiat 500! :D
 
239desmo said:
...sounds like I need the name of the dealer if only not to go there!:eek:
Click to expand...
The dealer will be Jim Allen, in Falkirk I think. As far as I know they were the only Scottish dealer. The current dealer in Scotland is Moto Ecosse in Cambuslang. I know nothing about them.
My only experience with a Guzzi was a V50II that I bought as a non-runner around 1990. It had been lying outside for a year and was in a pretty poor state. I stripped it down, rebuilt it with another LH barrel and piston and rode to work on it for the next 10 years. It was a horrible gutless thing but in the 25,000 miles or so I did on it, it never broke down once.
 
There was a Guzzi dealer in Ayr but I dont know if they are still trading, thats probably a bit too far away for you anyway.
 
Derek said:
The dealer will be Jim Allen, in Falkirk I think. As far as I know they were the only Scottish dealer. The current dealer in Scotland is Moto Ecosse in Cambuslang. I know nothing about them.
QUOTE]

I have popped into the Jim Allen dealership several times over the years and have never been impressed enough to even consider buying a bike from them.... and I do have a thing for Guzzis. If there was a better dealer around locally I would probably buy one...... so where was that dealer in Cambuslang.......;)
Click to expand...
 
I quite like the V7.

One of the classic bike mags did a back to back feature with an original bike.

Although they liked the new one they preferred the 1967 model!:confused::D
 
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