Wife hates Rosso! Alternative?

[Ralph Werner]

Thanks for all of the replies. My wife did ride her own bike for a few years but she decided to give it up. We also looked long and hard at sidehacks but she really doesn't want to ride in one. I suspect that I'm leaning heavily toward a Cali Touring.

[coz1100]

I'm quit fond of my V-star silverado. Its a rather nice ride for the driver and with a little $$ you can get a REALLY nice passanger seat. So nice that I managed to do a 4700 mile round trip from centrel Washington to Texas.

 

Also the fully loaded 1100cc only coast me a little $1100 brand new and out the door.

 

 

Z

[dbdicker]

If I wanted to do the two-up sport-touring thing, I would strongly consider the Honda ST1300.

 

 

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That's what I did. I think you'll find the Cali puts too much weight on your backside, making real long stints a little difficult. Add that to how much real fun you can have on a tonti 2-up (uh,oh...I hear Todd Eagan stalking me! ) and you might have to consider another marquee.

 

My wife now refuses to get on the Guzzi and I can't blame her. The Honda has the only downside of being very heavy, making slow manuevering a little touchy. But try one if you haven't yet. Hauls the kitchen sink and you'll be scraping hard parts inside of 15 minutes of riding it. Super fast and comfortable too. Of course, bulletproof...........

 

If I want drama, I figure I've always got my Guzzi..........

[Mike Stewart]

Ralph,

 

Before going out and buying a new Tonti framed bike, go out and ride one first!

 

I purchased a 2002 California Special Sport with out riding it first and the bike just did not fit my riding style. Mainly, the seats and rear suspension were poor, riding over 30 miles was difficult (painfull), my wife had the same problem with her seat, she always had to squirm trying to find a comfortable spot while riding. The foot peg location is forward and this also makes it awkward to move your body position around on a long haul. Oh yeah, the bar height of the Special Sport killed my back after a few hours of riding. It gave me back spasms for days afterwards. The linked brakes I never did get used to, or if I did, going back to a regular braking bike was always fun at the first stop sign. Other than that, it was a beautiful bike. Funny thing is, I sold it and then purchased a Jackal last year and rode it back from Iowa (JRT) to California two up and loaded and the bike was fantastic. It had better seats, no linked brakes, better shocks and slightly lower bars. 700 mile days went by fast.

 

Ride before you buy

 

Mike

[Ralph Werner]

Mike, you're right about riding first. I did ride a Cali when I bought the Rosso, but 15-20 miles is a lot different than 300. I would hate to buy another bike that was uncomfortable for my wife yet it seems unlikely that I could get to test ride an EV long enough to evaluate comfort for both of us.

 

We have had many long days on Harleys so I know that one would work for us. The problem is that most asking prices are unrealistic (as evidenced by the large number of ebay listings that never make minimum bid or reserve). Make an offer and the owner says "I turned down more than that" or "I have a buyer at my price just as soon as he sells his bike" or "If it doesn't sell I'll keep it".

 

I may have to take a serious look at the ST1300.

[jrt]

What Mike said.

 

Try riding a Cali first. Even after putting on a better seat, better shocks, etc. I never got used to the forward position of the pegs on the Jackal. Loved the bike, hated the seating. I like to sit up straight on a bike.

If you want something seriously comfortable , roadworthy (and theft-proof to boot), consider a mid 1980's Guzzi SP1000. You'd make Pete Roper proud.

[Steve G.]

That's what I did.  I think you'll find the Cali puts too much weight on your backside, making real long stints a little difficult.  Add that to how much real fun you can have on a tonti 2-up (uh,oh...I hear Todd Eagan stalking me!  )  and you might have to consider another marquee.

 

My wife now refuses to get on the Guzzi and I can't blame her.  The Honda has the only downside of being very heavy, making slow manuevering a little touchy.  But try one if you haven't yet.  Hauls the kitchen sink and you'll be scraping hard parts inside of 15 minutes of riding it.  Super fast and comfortable too.  Of course, bulletproof...........

 

If I want drama, I figure I've always got my Guzzi.......... 

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Noting that it is widely recognized that the Tonti framed California series is the best handling of the "cruiser" style of bikes, many, including myself find the "sit up and beg" riding style just does not work. Placing most of your weight on your tail bone to me makes no sense. As well, riding this style of bike without a windscreen pretty well makes your upper body into a human kite at highway speeds, making sure that you will soon have forarms the size of Popeye the Sailor Man.

While people uneducated in bikes automatically think that this 'easy chair' sitting position would be most comfortable, it is widely recognized that equal distribution of weight on the rear, feet and to a lesser degree the hands is best for big mileages. I will say that it is best to BE comfortable rather than LOOK comfortable.

Generally the most comfortable long ride bikes are the big dual purpose machines, with the ideal foot position having the heal of your foor directly below your hip joint. Just look at what style of bike is most used by the Iron Butt challenge guys. A 5 degree lean forward is best for most, to compensate for wind blast to the shoulders and upper body.

As for passenger seating, nothing can match the comfort of both rider and passenger than that found on the new Gold Wings or full dresser BMW K bikes. Unfortunately, one has to deal with the compromised handling capability of these big vessels, although surprisingly sure footed for a machine 1600 pounds fully dressed and two up. The early eighties Suzuki GS 1000s had very comfortable seats for passenger and rider both. The problem with seats on newer bikes is that most tend to make the passenger slide forward as a result of trying to make the profile of the bike look good.

The V11 Guzzi family of bikes have a seat that may be a bit on the small side. Adding an aftermarket seat unfortunately does not address the main problem that the foor pegs are way too high for most, again placing too much weight on the tail bone. Last week I noticed that Jim had a slightly lower footrest set up on his Rosso for his girlfriend.

Another fact that I must not overlook is that alot of the members of this forum will only buy a machine from certain countries, or only Moto Guzzis. While I recognize this, it limits the vast array of machines available. I have also said many times my belief that one bike cannot do all, that one should have two or more, and they should be different to cover a broader spectrum of uses.

Ciao, Steve G.

[Guest goose2241]

I also have a Honda ST1300. It's a great bike for touring. It's pretty nimble for a heavy bike and has a great ride to it. The one thing I would recommend replacing is the "showroom saddle" on it. Your butt starts to go numb after about 45 minutes. Rich Maund made customized my existing seat pan with gel. It's a completely different experience with gel. If you need a top box, you can order a Honda top box from David Silver Spares in the UK.

[dbdicker]

Mike, you're right about riding first.

 

I may have to take a serious look at the ST1300.

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Ralph,

 

You're welcome to come up the 'pike' for a ride on my ST for as long as you'd like. I also have two very close friends with Cali's and I might be able to arrange a group ride so you could try those out too.............that might be a little more difficult, though.

 

I'm off to ride the BRP for the week of the 17th, but after that, I'm around........let me know.

[Ralph Werner]

db - that's a super offer and I might take you up on it! Thanks much.

[Ralph Werner]

Again, thanks for all of the input.

 

Dan, I hope that your BRP ride was the greatest.

 

Contrary to where I was heading, I finally decided on a BMW R1150RT and I will take delivery this weekend in Vermont (of all places!). My wife and I have owned and riden many Beemers and I guess that I finally realized that we are very comfortable on these Deutch wonders.

 

Not to worry, the Rosso is still my main solo ride.

[Guest jasper]

there's a very simple sollution to almost all problems.. or how you can make one bike work for al your usage!!

 

The scura doesn't like the big highways... so as a loyal companion i don't take her there and just stay on the smaller roads where she has more fun (me to!)

 

So change your riding!! the extra time you'll use avoiding the highways is going to save you a lot of money which you can spend on high compression pistons , twin spark setup : and light weight wheels : and more of that stuff and you don't even have to feel quilty about it because you saved a lott of money!! .... and that's sure to eliminate the second bike wish (or you have to give that one the "fun" treatment to)......

or is that to much of a European way of riding??

 

As for two up riding that's a diffent story my girlfriend is still trying to explain that it's not really comfortable as a passenger.. but even for that problem is a simple solution (a new girlfriend/wife seems simple at first but will eventually give you more problems) no, the real sollution is wear hearing protection!! and claim you didn't hear anything!

 

To me the v11 is one of the most comfortable bikes ever ridden but than again i thought a 748 was pretty comfortable to my girlfriend one of the least comfortable but she's just loves, and i am quoting her, the smile on my face when were out for a spin!

 

Ciao