They look really cool, saw one at a local bike show. With a $25K sticker it was a bit intimidating......of course it was farkled out a bit, but still.......25K? Whew, it better be GOOD.
I like the looks, but I'm afraid of buying Italian. Oh and the last Guzzi guy I talked to spent at least 10 minutes telling me about how "she wrecks good."
I think a Guzzi might have the best sounding engine in the world. Right up there with Ducati.
But me, being a function over form (or sound) guy, I have never been able to bring myself to buy one. They are heavy and slow, but if you are into unique looks and engine noises that are porn for your ears, then a Guzzi is hard to beat.
Greg, I have owned 7 or 8 Guzzi's and once broken in and the Carbs or TB's balanced the vibes are not annoying at all. They run quite smooth. When new or out of balance they can be less than comfortable.
I had a chance to see the used and unused HUNTER UAV engines the other day at the Northrop Grumman plant in AZ. Two 750cc Guzzi engines per aircraft. There were about 80 engines in run condition waiting for a home. I would have taken a picture but the sight was to much to bear over again. They were stacked on top of each other like wood. Great reliable engines but the AVGAS was a logistical hurdle the military wanted to get over. They were replaced for a Smart car diesel engine.
I've owned several Guzzis in the past. I raced on a V7 Sport in the mid '70s. While their touring bikes are heavy, their sport bikes are not. As far as slow, Dr. John Wittner's bike with Doug Brauneck riding won the BOTT championship. It was a strictly privateer effort and funded by donations from the MGNOC. Guzzis are good motorcycles. If I weren't on a Buell, I'd probably be riding a Guzzi Norge.
"That would be about 9 grand of stuff! Out the door, no options, the one I looked at 16k . They do look cool!"
I don't know how they arrived at that $ tag, bike show price? (I did commit a slight typo, it was 23k+, but still..) That dealer must not care about moving product flying prices like that in the economic dustbowl that is Upstate NY.
Having not actually spec'd out a MG the only things I could immediately tell were add-ons were things like crash guards, bash plate, touring bags....maybe upgraded windscreen...... Either way it seemed pricey to me too. Doesn't diminish my desire to try one though.
'72 Combat Commando - My first road bike. Wish I had that thing today. Unfortunately, a mindless bimbet who thought getting across an intersection in front of me instead of waiting for me to pass had other ideas. Now nobody gets it.
The Norton actually wasn't bad in the reliability department. At least by '72 the electrics seem to have lost the Lucas curse. I did have a Boyer electronic ignition and a single Mikuni carb kit on it, which I'm sure helped, but it ran great. And before I tried to carve my way through the side of a 69 Mustang, I put a lot of trouble free miles on her. The funny thing is, half the reason I bought the Buell is that it's the only bike out there with an engine that gave me the same grin inducing feel as that old Commando.