Piaggio Debuts the First 2011 Guzzi at Moto Intl. Today

[Greg Field]

“FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

“To our friends in America:

 

“We’ve sensed that you were as underwhelmed with Pierre Terblanche’s EICMA fantasy bikes as we were, so we’ve kicked his South African ass to the curb and hired someone who really knows his Guzzis to usher in a return to “first principles” in a way that Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius would applaud.

 

“Today, the Piaggio group is proud to present the first fruit of that partnership: the early-intro 2011 model Moto Guzzi Nuovo Eldorado—a real-steel resurrection of the most storied Moto Guzzi twin of all time, and one that sets the new standard for retro looks combined with modern function. Far from being merely impractical butt jewelry like a café racer, the 2011 Eldorado is a practical mount that can take you anywhere you want to go. In homage to its roots as a police bike, we like to call it a “donut racer,” but what it really is is a streetbike bike that you can use.

 

The 2011 Nuovo Eldorado shown with celebrity spokesman Billy Joel who was at Moto International today for the launch of this historic new model. We are near conclusion of a product-placement agreement to have a pair of Nuovo Eldos onstage like lions at the gate during his current concert tour across America.

 

“Out front, the Nuovo Eldorado features 54mm Marzocchi forks mimic the classic fat-fork look of the original Eldo while vaulting forward 35 years in suspension technology. In another first for Guzzi, these forks are correctly sprung for American-sized riders. Fully adjustable for pre-load and compression and rebound damping, you can set them Cadillac soft or racer hard. Twin rear shocks are adjustable units from YSS.

 

“We think you’ll love the new brakes as much as you love the new suspension: genuine 320mm Brembo floaters squeezed by four-piston Brembo Goldline calipers out front and a matching single Brembo rotor and caliper at the rear. Master cylinders are both genuine Brembo. All brake lines are stainless steel.

 

Far from being just another ho-hum entry into the “retro” category, the new Moto Guzzi Eldorado creates its own new category—the “donut racer,” a name that honors the original’s heritage as the chosen mount of police departments all over the US and the world.

 

“The new Eldo may be molto retro in spirit but it’s not so old-fashioned that it keeps remnants of the past that truly belong in the past. Both wheels are tubeless spokers with “sensible shoes:” 110/90-18 Pirelli Sport Demons at both ends that provide quick handling, sure stick, and don’t break the bank when you it comes time to replace them.

 

“Its steel fuel tank with chrome panels and pinstripes is straight out of the ‘70s but is impervious to the alcohol-laced fuels of today. It holds 5.5 gallons for a real-world range of over 200 miles. Perched like a lone cherry atop this tasty bowl of gelato is a gleaming polished aluminum dash that harks back to the police Eldorados of yore. Pride of place is given to an outsized speedometer, framed by a rainbow of indicator lights to let you monitor the health of your new mount.

 

The polished dash is the control center of the Nuovo Eldo while allowing instant access to the adjustments for damping and pre-load on the 54-mm Marzocchi upside-down forks.

 

“Making its long-overdue return on the 2011 is the classic round-fin Guzzi Big Twin engine. By classic, we mean classic. We returned to smaller valves and ports and mated them with big Dell’Orto carbs and long intake runners and a way-lumpier cam for mid-range torque that’s not just fat but morbidly obese.

 

“You’ll never have to worry about the wind and weather or how to carry things, either. Standard is a reprise of the classic “buffalo” fairing and quickly removable leg guards. Its footboards are perfectly placed for all-day comfort and fabulous cornering clearance. Its centerstand and sidestand are the best in the business. Its slim and stylish retro saddlebags and a luggage rack behind the police-spec solo seat are big enough to bring home the groceries or carry all your essentials for a long trip.

 

“And in another first that shows our commitment to succeeding in the world’s largest market for big-bore streetbikes, we’re introducing this important new model to the US market first. That’s right! The first shipments will be sent to America! Look for them in US dealerships starting in mid-February and everywhere else next fall.”

 

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Well, that’s the fantasy version, anyway. The real story is that it’s my scruffy, old Eldo with a set of upside-down forks from the Ballabio grafted on, along with Norge rotors, V11 calipers, and a front wheel off of a 2004 EV. It was a ton of work but so far seems to’ve been well worth it.

 

I went into this with three goals:

 

The first, of course, was to get better front suspension and brakes. I definitely have that. It rides unbelievably smoothly at the front¬¬¬--miles better than even the hot-rodded, FAC-equipped Eldo disc-type front end it replaced, let alone the all-steel, undamped drum-type forks my Eldo first came equipped with. The brakes are really good, too, although I have to say they’re really not all that superior to the hot-rodded dual discs I had on before. Those were really good brakes, too. It’s much more stable, too V11 Sport forks have MUCH less offset than the Eldo forks, which meant a great increase in trail, which made the whole thing rock-stable while still having great steering response. It always wanted to go into a death-wobble with the old forks, so much so that it scared the crap out of several friends of mine who rode it. And you’d never’ve wanted to’ve ridden it without a steering damper. Its instability was just something I grew so used to that I never really noticed it much, but I sure heard about it when most others rode it.

 

The second was that I also wanted it all to fit together so seamlessly that you wouldn’t even notice that it had been done unless you looked real close. So far, no one has spotted the change until I pointed it out. That makes me think I met that goal, too.

 

Finally, I wanted to do the mod without making any permanent alterations to either the bike or to the Ballabio front end. Unfortunately, I failed to meet that goal. In the end, the only way to get mounting points for the Eldo handlebar risers that I felt were strong enough to be safe was to drill four holes into the Ballabio top triple clamp. Also, I had to cut the center supports on the Eldo fender because they were long enough to interfere with the calipers. I cut them off at a point that will allow me to weld them back on easily if I ever want to revert to the old forks. Making all the bracketry and stuff to mount the fender and dash without cutting and welding on the parts added a tremendous amount of work, but I think it was worth it.

 

 

I had to make a plate for the police dash to mate it to the Ballabio top triple clamp. I made circular spacers to go inside the big bar-mount holes that were already there and then drilled and tapped the spacers to accept the rear mounting screws for the dash. The plate is hardly noticeable and went on without need to alter any stock parts. The dash wiring was a nightmare because the steering stem is so much longer on the Ballabio triples that it raised the dash enough that I needed a longer speedo cable and had to make extenders for many of the wires to the idiot lights. This view shows how much less offset these forks have than Eldo forks. Stock forks are centered under the forward mounting screws for the dash. These are completely outside the footprint of the dash, which is a good thing because as a result I can easily get at the adjusters.

 

 

Here are a few of the brackets that it was necessary to make to mate the Eldo fender braces to the upside-down forks. The axle is from the Ballabio front end. To make that work with the EV front wheel, I swapped the bearings for Ballabio bearings and had a friend turn a new inner spacer for the wheel. That was the only part in the whole conversion made by a machinist.

 

The back bracket was a real bitch because it’s curved and really difficult to fit. Because the bracket is curved, I needed wedge spacers fitted around each screw so the screw head would be tightening onto a flat surface. I bolted them using the pinch-screw holes that were already through to the back of the lower fork boss. Try threading a screw through the hole of a precisely fitted round bracket into a non-countersinked hole coming out of a curved surface. Endless frustration there. It’s a two-bourbon job, for sure.

 

As said earlier, I had to cut the center fender supports. I hated to have to alter a rare stock part, but there was no alternative. Then, I made brackets bolted to the caliper mounts that would mate up with the shortened fender supports. It’s not ideal, but it doesn’t suck, either.

 

These brackets were necessary to mount my front turn signals and spotlights. I sized the thickness of the steel so they’d do double duty as the point of contact with the steering stop on the frame. Simple and effective. That copper line around the top of the lower triple is for a partial shim I had to insert because the fork necks down by 1 mm halfway through the clamp. The V11s have a taller steering head, so this wasn't necessary on that bike. Mating the long steering stem or the V11 triple clamp with the short neck of an Eldo frame was the most frustrating part of the whole thing. I had to try, fit, measure, reshim bearings, again, and again, in order to get it all to work. Do not drink bourbon during this phase.

 

Overall, I’m very happy with it. The change in looks is pretty subtle whereas the change in performance is HUGE, which makes my Eldo even more of a sleeper than it already was.

[Fred C. Dobbs]

Boy! Had me goin' for a second--that guy in the saddle really does look like Billy Joel. Still, you are to be commended Greg. What a bike--utility, grace, performance and style--traditonal Guzzi virtues, but rarely seen all in the same bike. I'd give it an A plus.

[Greg Field]

Boy! Had me goin' for a second--that guy in the saddle really does look like Billy Joel. Still, you are to be commended Greg. What a bike--utility, grace, performance and style--traditonal Guzzi virtues, but rarely seen all in the same bike. I'd give it an A plus.

 

 

That part was not fantasy. Billy Joel was in the shop for about 45 minutes today.

[richard100t]

I like your idea to take the old time tested, reliable Guzzi and replacing the brakes and suspension with modern stuff. Now you have the best of the old Guzzi and the best of the new all in one bike.

Will you be taking that one on your next trip to Alaska?

[belfastguzzi]

Don't be bashful: show us the CARC.

[The Monkey]

I like it! Did you just centre the longer steering stem in the shorter loop frame neck? Or did you have to favor the top (or bottom) to deal with any fender to generator cover or frame clearance issues? That front wheel is standout, I cant believe they didnt continue to use that rim on the current retro spokers.

 

 

Here's a shot of the top secret prototype that led to the development of your 2011. This shot was taken shortly after Mr Terblanche was dragged out to a remote location in the background and left with a carbon fiber seat cover for shelter.

[Greg Field]

I like it! Did you just centre the longer steering stem in the shorter loop frame neck? Or did you have to favor the top (or bottom) to deal with any fender to generator cover or frame clearance issues? That front wheel is standout, I cant believe they didnt continue to use that rim on the current retro spokers.

 

 

Here's a shot of the top secret prototype that led to the development of your 2011. This shot was taken shortly after Mr Terblanche was dragged out to a remote location in the background and left with a carbon fiber seat cover for shelter.

 

 

That's my friend Paul's V7. I put a bunch of work into it when he stopped in Seattle on his way to South America.