griso 8v revelation.

[Bogwopit]

Hi all,

just thought I'd put down a few lines about the new Griso 8v.I must admit that after 500 miles of use I was n't very impressed.I have to say from the start that I,am not a very sporty rider, having had a break from riding for 15 years and seeing lots of friends and aquaintances go off on the long ride and not come home again if you see what I mean. Also, marriage and kids give you a whole new perspective on things;I now like to ride slower, enjoy the thrill of the bikes and hopefully live a lot longer! I digress- coming back into biking I bought an old BMW R100RT 5 or 6 years ago and although it is slow and steady it's still nice to get back on the road again.

After a few years I plucked up the courage to buy a new bike{Cali. Vintage}trying to forget all the horror stories associated with Guzzi's over the years, and what do you know, it was fantastic.

A truly modern classic,well made ,reliable[so far]and a joy to ride and own. It also looked like a bike should do.

I now turned my thoughts to another Guzzi and found the V11- another 'old fashioned' style of bike but with bags of character and a lot more get up and go than the Cali.[but not too much, given my lack of riding skills and general wimpy demeanor]

I loved the Le Mans so much I got a Rosso Mandello- even if you don't ride them, you can still just sit and look at the beauties and get as much pleasure.

That brings me to the Griso. I felt I wanted a more modern styled Guzzi, and while I was attracted to certain aspects of the bike there were others that I did not like.

But eventually I bought a new one and I have to admit that my first impression were not good.It still felt undeniably like a Guzzi-it couldn't be anything else, but it didn't feel right and I was not enjoying going out on it. The problem however was mine-I was trying to ride it like a Cali. or to a certain extent like a V11, and the bike didn't like it.I was not using enough revs,trying to 'cruise' along in too high a gear etc. But then last Friday I had a revelation-I was on the bike following a queue of cars lorries and 2 tractors,struggling to find the right gear to ride slowly in then it started to pour with rain when I thought why am I sitting here? I started to use the throttle and boy what a difference it made. I ended up going for a 125 mile ride in the rain and absolutely loved it. The bike loved to be revved, and it became a different bike.

I,ve been out on it every day since and have loved every minute of it.I still find the suspension a bit hard (even for my not inconsiderable bulk) but I will have to wait a bit longer to figure out how to alter it.

A couple of months ago I bought a 1400mile '09 1200 sport 8v from my local dealer and have been waiting for a race exhaust kit to come from the factory before taking delivery. The kit arrived last week and because they had never fitted one before the dealer offered to fit it for free so they could have the experience. It should be ready for me to collect this Friday and while before I wasn't particularly looking forward to the experience I now can't wait to climb aboard.I'll let you know my impressions.

 

I wonder, has anyone fitted a modern 8V in a LeMan? That would be a marriage made in heaven.

 

BFN

 

Andy Roo.

[belfastguzzi]

I was on the bike following a queue of cars lorries and 2 tractors,struggling to find the right gear to ride slowly in

= The Wrong Thing

 

I started to use the throttle

= The Right Thing

 

[pete roper]

 

A couple of months ago I bought a 1400mile '09 1200 sport 8v from my local dealer

 

Andy Roo.

 

I've only ridden one 1200 Sport 8V. It's not as 'Sporty' as the Griso but it fueled up superbly straight out of the box. I was amazed by how good it was.

 

Pete