Hello All

[Guest El Bandito]

Hello to all on the site.

 

Not sure if a Guzzi is for me yet, I haven't had a chance to ride one yet, but I love the heritage and the passion for these bikes that owners seem to have.

I have ridden big singles before (which I love, simply because the're different), and Jap inline fours. A recent test ride of a friends VTR 100 has confirmed the fact that I would like V Twin, but the Honda seemed a touch, dare I say it, Sterile.

 

Anyway, hoping to ride a Guzzi soon. I would like something sporty I can also tour on and I think the Le Mans would fit the bill.

 

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[savagehenry]

Hola, El Bandito, Welcome aboard, this is a great site for all things MG, with the focus of course on our beloved Sports and LM's. I have had mine a year now. Love it on my daily commuting, loved my 450 mile day of nothing but saddle time, curves and hills in the very fun part of SW Wisconson last year, due for that again soon !!! It seems to me that ALOT of us bought our bikes after never riding one previously, on a "hunch" as it were. But the outcome always seems the same... See ya around, S.H.

P.S. I'm 5'10", 33" inseam and 185 lbs. without riding gear, this bike fits me well, fairing and Ohlins package was worth the extra $ in my opinion...

[Ballabio Bertie]

Hi Bandito. Take a chance!!!I bought mine without riding one,made the ride home to Orkney into a 1300 mile holiday and fell in love with it!The more you ride one the better it gets,I dont think a quick spin would be enough to get to know what these bikes are capable of.I wouldn't part with mine at gunpoint (even though its currently sitting in my garage waiting for a gearbox spring....)

[tmcafe]

Welcome to the club. I'm new to Guzzi but I can tell that these bikes are anything but "sterile". If you get a chance to ride one before you make the move, great, but most owners love how the V11 sport feels and looks (otherwise we'd get a Honda Parts may be even easier to come by in the UK, and the bikes are easy to maintain and work on (if I can figure it out anybody can ). Check out the for sale ads here, some are from the UK.

[jhh]

Welcome! I just recently asked myself the same questions you have, and I wound up with an '04 V11 Ballabio (like many others here, I bought it on a hunch). I really love the bike, and the only real trouble I'm having with it is figuring out how I want to customize it.

 

The complaints I have about the bike are pretty minor. The seat needs to be repacked if I want to keep going on longer rides, the exhaust is a little quiet for my tastes, and the transmission can be pretty notchy when it gets warmed up. Beyond that I'm very satisfied.

 

It's a little big for me (I can almost stand with both feet flat), but definitely still manageable. I'm about 165 pounds with a 30" inseam.