Re: Low milage V11’s
I think it takes a certain kind of person to own an exotic like a Moto Guzzi.
It is not for the faint at heart. You need to be courageous and confident to put the hammer down and fly through the gears. Like an Alfa Romeo, the Guzzi needs to be driven hard: it likes it, and most people feel Italian machinery is not only temperamental but fragile, and hesitate to really screw it on.
Thus, they lug around town, always afraid of breaking something. Of course, this is the worse thing you can do to an engine like the V-Twin from Mandello del Lario. It hates it, and will be cranky and moody. Most will then park the Guzzi in the garage, not willing to dance with it anymore, saying, “It’s always something with this thing”.
Bikes like ours reward doing the maintenance yourself, and having done the work yourself makes you more confident, as you understand the machine much better, and have trust in the basic design. You can feel when something is not right, or could be better, and are rewarded when your instinct is proven correct.
Of course, the lack of a dealer network sort of forces one to do this, but still, there are people who wouldn’t question owning an exotic, and those who wouldn’t think of it.
Wow! That is worth saying again! With feeling!
Well said, JB!