Orson Posted May 28, 2012 Posted May 28, 2012 I'm in Italy on vacation and had a chance to attend some classic bike races in Umbria. Gianfranco Guareschi, he of the glorious victory over Ducati at Daytona a few years ago, rode a V7 Cafe to victory over a field that included a Ducati 996, several Guzzi V11s and a couple of Grisos The 996 spec sheet show 122 hp, so I'm flabbergasted. I'm sure some of it is due to rider talent, as I watched the 996 gain on him on the back straight on the first lap, but once they got into the curves, it wuz all over but the crying. The 996 finished second. I asked dad, Claudio Guareschi in my limited Italian if they had bored out the cylinders, but he assured me that it wuz still a 750. I'm afraid my Italian isn't good enuff to ask more incisive questions. The only exterior mods I saw, were a header made by Zard and air filters, along with Ohlins rear shocks.
fotoguzzi Posted May 29, 2012 Posted May 29, 2012 A V7 beats a V11? and Griso's and a 996? I gotta see that to believe it..
Skeeve Posted May 29, 2012 Posted May 29, 2012 Gianfranco Guareschi, he of the glorious victory over Ducati at Daytona a few years ago, rode a V7 Cafe to victory over a field that included a Ducati 996, several Guzzi V11s and a couple of Grisos The 996 spec sheet show 122 hp, so I'm flabbergasted. I'm sure some of it is due to rider talent,... Um, I think you mean to write "I'm sure ALL of it is due to rider talent..." since anyone who can take a V11 to victory over Ducatis at Daytona [a notoriously "fast" track] has got to have the balls composed of a mix of copper & zinc & blood made from the water melted off Greenland's 100,000 year old glaciers... Oh, and I suspect that the heads on that 750 were Lario 4v units...
helicopterjim R.I.P. Posted May 29, 2012 Posted May 29, 2012 How did Austin Mini's do so well in their day? Light weight! Good drivers! There was nothing said about the ability of the rider on the 996 but sometimes Ducati's that make it to the track are piloted by posers rather than racers but we don't know that either. I reckon Gianfranco simply rode the wheels off a very light bike with a broad flat powerband and the other riders did not have his skills to let their more powerful bikes defeat him. ...... and he rode an MGS-01 at Daytona - not a V11.
Baldini Posted May 29, 2012 Posted May 29, 2012 http://www.motoguzzi.it/#/motoguzzi/IT/it/news-promo/news39 Think this is the bike, but probably a different race - I dunno - no speak Italiano. Helicopter Jim he speaks lot of sense. Hope you're good, Orson. Always said, it was a lovely little bike... KB
Guzzirider Posted May 29, 2012 Posted May 29, 2012 Well done great to see an underdog win. Still dislike those new V7s- they leave me cold, and I have no interest in them whatsoever.
jrt Posted May 30, 2012 Posted May 30, 2012 Well done great to see an underdog win. Still dislike those new V7s- they leave me cold, and I have no interest in them whatsoever. That's interesting. I really like my wife's '04 Breva (except it looks too modern). They are very predictable rides, though not very exciting. They do not have as much 'soul' as the big twins. I like them for their utilitarian nature and hope the new models are even better.
John in Leeds Posted May 30, 2012 Posted May 30, 2012 Always said, it was a lovely little bike... KB It is now Keith
Guzzirider Posted May 30, 2012 Posted May 30, 2012 Well done great to see an underdog win. Still dislike those new V7s- they leave me cold, and I have no interest in them whatsoever. That's interesting. I really like my wife's '04 Breva (except it looks too modern). They are very predictable rides, though not very exciting. They do not have as much 'soul' as the big twins. I like them for their utilitarian nature and hope the new models are even better. I appreciate they have plenty of fans and everyone has different tastes, but I found the motor to be seriously lacking in poke on the open road and think they are way overpriced for what they really are. For the huge price tag of £7949 I would expect twin front disc brakes as well as more grunt. There are loads of low mileage used modern V7s for sale at the moment- I am guessing that punters buy them because they look pretty, believe the dealers claim that they make 50ish bhp, then end up selling them a few months later. I think part of the problem is that Guzzi make them out to be something they are not- the press release for the V7 Racer said they were for gentlemen who enjoy track days, and I'm guessing the Guareschi win, impressive though it is, will be used to support this sort of talk. Maybe Guzzi should change tack and say they are bikes for riders who want a reasonable turn of speed but are not bothered about going too quick. My first ever Guzzi was a V65 Lario which I bought in 1988 and that was a much better bike to ride, although probably less reliable. If I was in the market for a 750 I would buy a Aprilia Shiver GT- now that has a very zesty little motor in comparison. Just my opinion
grossohc Posted May 30, 2012 Posted May 30, 2012 I think the V7 cafe would be a great bike to ride round up here where BHP counts for not a lot. I would even have considered one after a suitable test ride, but with no dealers nearby its not going to happen for me.
Orson Posted May 31, 2012 Author Posted May 31, 2012 http://www.motoguzzi.it/#/motoguzzi/IT/it/news-promo/news39 Think this is the bike, but probably a different race - I dunno - no speak Italiano. Helicopter Jim he speaks lot of sense. Hope you're good, Orson. Always said, it was a lovely little bike... Yah, that's the bike. For the record, he qualified in fifth place, got a good start and entered the first turn in about fourth place, when my view was obscured by an overhead pedestrian walkway. When he exited the first turn, he was in first place by a good 50 feet, so yah, it appears a lot of it was rider talent. Heading down the back straight was when I saw the Ducati cut the lead to about 10 feet, but then it was back into the turns and the lead grew from there. Still, I was hoping someone like Paul might be in the know as to how much horsepower can be added to one of these things.
jcbooghs Posted May 31, 2012 Posted May 31, 2012 new V7, griso's, 996, how 'classic' is this race? Although nice job by Guaro! I will ride an old V7 750 (1972) in classic races which boosts about as much (okay, to be fair, a little less) horsepower as an early V11. Not talking about torque of course.
Orson Posted June 2, 2012 Author Posted June 2, 2012 new V7, griso's, 996, how 'classic' is this race? I'm not sure, but it was labeled the "Gentleman's class". It seemed to be about 80% Guzzis and 20% Ducatis of various styles. There were even a couple of V11 Stones that performed respectably.
Guzzirider Posted June 2, 2012 Posted June 2, 2012 Facebook pics I think these pics taken by Peter Horvath are from the same race meeting / track day. From the sound of it Guareschi was in a different league when it came to abilities of the other riders. Guy
docc Posted June 5, 2012 Posted June 5, 2012 I'm not sure, but it was labeled the "Gentleman's class". It seemed to be about 80% Guzzis and 20% Ducatis of various styles. There were even a couple of V11 Stones that performed respectably. Ah-ha! So it is true: 4 of 5 Gentleman ride Moto Guzzi!
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