Hello & 2001 Moto Guzzi V11 Rosso Mandello Help?

[Lemmy]

Hello Guzzisti,

 

First of all I would like to introduce myself.

I am originally from Rhodes - Greece and after 8 years of relocating for studies, work etc. I finally settled down in Paris France.

I was lucky to start riding bikes at a young age but during these 8 years of relocating I didn't have the chance to keep up with my passion.

 

Last year when I finally settled down in Paris I bought a little 125 cm3 in order to get around town and go to work without having to deal with traffic jams. My car has been sitting in the garage ever since and I only use it if I have to do long distance trips.

 

Having the little 125 brought me back memories of real motorcycle riding and I have decided to move on and get a real bike.

 

I took 1 week of riding perfectioning courses and now I'm looking for "the bike".

 

I am a big fun of classic bikes and I used to ride a BMW R60/7 and a Honda four back in the day.

My original plan was to buy a Ducati GT1000 up until I found a 2001 Moto Guzzi V11 Rosso Mandello for sale in my area!!!!

 

Now that is where I need your advice.

 

My criteria are:

 

1) I am riding every day to get to work and back under warm/ cold / rainy weather. (I have done 5.000 miles the past 11 months with the little 125 and this is only by going to work and riding around town)

 

2) I want to do 200 mile weekend trips with my wife once in a while (once a month/ once every 2 months depending on weather)

 

3) I want to do 1 long distance summer trip once a year for example Paris - Nice - Tuscan Region - Paris (with the wife)

 

4) I mesure 6.3 feet (1m91)

 

What I would Like from my new bike:

 

1) The possibility of adding saddlebags or some short of rigid panniers for my trips. Can I do that on a V11 Rosso Mandello?

 

 

My concerns:

 

1) Is it easy to find spare parts for the V11?

2) Does the upkeep cost a lot?

3) People say that Moto Guzzi's aren't reliable but which bike manufacturer is really. Obviously every bike has its problems. What are the most common problems on a V11? I don't feel like being stuck and waiting for months to receive a spare part...

 

 

I haven't seen the Bike in person yet. I will probably see it on Monday or Tuesday.

The price of the Guzzi is much more attractive than the Ducati GT1000 that I have in mind but again the Ducati is a 2007 model with 12000 km (7500 miles) and the Guzzi is a 2001 model with 35000 km (22000 miles). Here are some photos from the add:

 

 

 

 

 

The dealer offers a 3-month warranty on the bike on pieces and repair.

 

What are the points that I should be careful about?

 

I am really sorry to bother you with all these questions and some of my concerns have probably been discussed in previous posts but I will have to react quickly. Any advice will be really helpful.

 

I would like to thank you all and also congratulate you for your wonderful forum.

 

Hopefully I will be a Guzzi owner pretty soon and I will be able to participate more on the forum.

 

Cheers,

 

Lemmy

[Admin Jaap]

Hi Lemmy, welcome to the forum!

 

My 2 cents:

First of all, ride the bike, it's a heavy bike and completely different from a 125. Not really a city bike in my opinion, but great for weekend trips. Saddlebags are easy to fit. (I use Oxford bags myself) There are plenyy of people who have fitted panniers. But don't expect them to fit right from the shelve.

The V11 series are or will be classic bikes so in that area you will be satisfied.

Also test ride it with your wife, not everyone is fond of the rear seating position.

I'm 1,95 myself. I'm a bit cramped, but you will get used to that. It really is a bike you'll have to modify to suit your needs. A handlebar already makes a huge difference, and you have that already I see.

 

When the bike is sorted properly, it's reliable and it will get you home. Moto Guzzi still suffers from a bad reputation that originates from the 80's.

Maintaining the bike is quite easy. I do most of it myself and I'm not really gifted with two right hands...

Parts are not difficult to find, a good dealer still can get you almost everything you need and there are some dealers that sell online and ship worldwide. And there are after market suppliers for lots of stuff. And, if you can't source through regurlar channels, the forum classifieds are a great source. (There is also a german V11 forum)

 

Good luck!

[Lemmy]

Thank you Admin Jaap. I know that riding in town will not be as easy as getting around with the 125 but I'm ready to sacrifice that. At least it will not be as hard as driving a car in town. I want to take advantage of the fact that I live In central Europe and there are lots of trips to be done. I hope the V11 is a good solution and it wont brake the Bank as opposed to More recent Guzzi bikes, BMW tourers etc...

 

I am finally seeing the bike with my wife on Tuesday. I will keep you informed.

 

Cheers,

 

Lemmy

[richard100t]

I've had my Rosso Mandello for 5 years and over 35,000 miles now so I'll throw my 2 cents in. Its not going to be the right one for what you want to do with it. The clip ons are mounted too low and its just plain terrible after 150 miles of riding. I would have to say its the worst possible Guzzi you could get for a longer trip and everyday commuting.

Having said that, anything under 100 miles is a great fun ride. Its pretty reliable if you know how to keep it in tune and parts are out there. If you want a Guzzi the Quota is probably the best bike for what you describe in that price range.

[Guest ratchethack]

Gotta agree 100% with Richard^. The RM is unique in the same way that my Sport is unique relative to all other V11's, having the same "short frame" geometry, and with the exception of the handlebars in the photo's and cosmetics, in many other ways they were identical from the factory. Though my Sport's OE riding position (with OE clip-ons) is all-day comfortable for me, it can be a torture rack for many others on longish trips, particularly for someone of your height and leg length -- and especially challenging for a long-distance pillion passenger. Unless she's quite tiny, flexible, experienced, and capable of enduring considerable discomfort for long hours on the road, the wife would likely stage some kind of a serious revolt very early on.

 

I'm afraid that if optimal connubial bliss is your objective on tours across Europe, you'd be well advised to consider far less "classic" Euro moto's, and look at a big Japper or German luxo-barge designed for the purpose.

 

Put it this way: A RM would be possible to use the way you've described your target use, but it would be far from the best tool, and I'm afraid you'd not be pleased with your choice. Being a new unhappy Guzzi owner isn't something most of us would wish on anyone, my friend.

[gstallons]

Your concerns; #1. Parts are available for the V11. Parts are available for nuclear subs also. Pricey with a little waiting period.

#2 Price of upkeep is subjective.

#3 People say Guzzis are unreliable. People say lots of things, what do you want to hear?

 

 

My concerns; are you left-handed? Do you own a Mac computer? If you answer yes to either question buy the motorcycle, it is made for you.

 

 

If you needed to get to this part of the quiz, ask yourself: Do I want to spend my spare time musing over and tinkering with a mechanical object? Are

you proficient in working on your toys?

 

So the answer is YES. Good. go and put the bike on a center stand. sit on it for 30 min., moving forward and backward in various positions to see if you feel comfortable. Get it off the stand and lay the bike over as far as you feel comfortable (w/out dropping it) to see if it is too heavy for you.

 

 

If you honestly feel that this what you want then buy it. There are enough friends that will help you to keep it going. There are soft bag kits ( I don't like hard bags) for these bikes.

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bjor]

Hi Lemmy!

Difficult to decide when the advices differ this much...

 

I have a Rosso Mandelo my self, along with a Rosso Corsa and four other Guzzis.

I love the Rosso Mandello, both as a commuter bike as well as for longer tours. It's heavy, yes, but easy to handle once you get used to it, and there are mods that can be made.

Wether you will like it on longer trips or not, depends a lot on how you ride it. It should be ridden actively, preferrably on curvy roads. I've had several day-trips ranging from 500-800 km a day, without really getting pains anywhere. Continous speeds above 130 kmh is tirening though, due to the wind pressure.

For this purpose, the biger fairing of the LeMans is better, -or a BMW or something...

 

Spare parts are easily available, especially from German eBay and dealers, and I do not think they are that expencive. The bike is easy to maintain, and given some care I would say that it's a reliable bike.

 

The V11 is built for crossing the passes of the Alpes or cruising along the fjords of Norway!

I am sure there are better bikes, both regarding reliability as well as comfort, -especially for the passanger!

But to me it is more than good enough, and no other bike makes me smile broader on curvy roads than the V11 with open Mistrals mounted!

 

But the choice is yours, Lemmy! Let your stomack decide, and enjoy whatever decision it takes... Good luck!

[Bogwopit]

Hi Lemmy!

Difficult to decide when the advices differ this much...

 

I have a Rosso Mandelo my self, along with a Rosso Corsa and four other Guzzis.

I love the Rosso Mandello, both as a commuter bike as well as for longer tours. It's heavy, yes, but easy to handle once you get used to it, and there are mods that can be made.

Wether you will like it on longer trips or not, depends a lot on how you ride it. It should be ridden actively, preferrably on curvy roads. I've had several day-trips ranging from 500-800 km a day, without really getting pains anywhere. Continous speeds above 130 kmh is tirening though, due to the wind pressure.

For this purpose, the biger fairing of the LeMans is better, -or a BMW or something...

 

Spare parts are easily available, especially from German eBay and dealers, and I do not think they are that expencive. The bike is easy to maintain, and given some care I would say that it's a reliable bike.

 

The V11 is built for crossing the passes of the Alpes or cruising along the fjords of Norway!

I am sure there are better bikes, both regarding reliability as well as comfort, -especially for the passanger!

But to me it is more than good enough, and no other bike makes me smile broader on curvy roads than the V11 with open Mistrals mounted!

 

But the choice is yours, Lemmy! Let your stomack decide, and enjoy whatever decision it takes... Good luck!

Hi Lemmy,

I can only agree with all the above comments;all of them far more axperienced A La Guzzi than I am.

I've got a Rosso Mandello and have converted to raised handlebars as per this bike and all I can say is do as I did-go for a ride,fall in love with it and sod all else.It does'nt matter what it's good at or what it's bad at.It's just a bloody fantastic bike that will punish you for small mistakes and reward you for getting it right.Hell, I don't even need to start mine to appreciate it.

I just have to sit and look at it and it gives me far mor pleasure than any jap machine could ever do.I even considered buying an M.V.Agusta recently and left the dealership with a new 8v Griso(after all,Agusta's are just bikes-Guzzi's are a way of life)

 

At the end of the day it's your money and your choice.I think it's all down to the kind of personality you have,

 

If you buy it welcome aboard;if not, God bless you anyway.Ride fast and ride safe.

 

Andy Roo.

[mznyc]

Hey Lemmy,

I lust for a Mandello,one of the prettier V11's in my opinion.Hope you can get your paws on one.

For your needs, I would say the V11 is not your best buy.

 

With your criteria in mind,

Commuter-reliable,wind,rain,cold protection,hard bags

Trips-long range comfort,for 2,reliability

Price-value

 

I think the Honda ST1100(Pan European to you)would fill all your needs.

I own one with nearly 90k miles with no problems.

Low maintenance,shaft drive,great wind protection,transverse mounted V motor with tons of grunt and comfort for two.A lot of people are intimidated by it's size but as soon as you start rolling it's very nimble.I live in NYC and it's no problem to zip in and out of traffic but stable and lush on the highway.Here ,they go for about 3k $ and up for clean ,mid mileage example.So a great value,very easy to get parts and won't clean out your wallet!Basically a BMW type sports tourer at a fraction of the cost.

Good luck,hope to see you back here with a V11 and an ST1100,...Oh and yes Lemmy is God !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLkPuu2PAzM