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I had
been threatening to buy a Moto Guzzi for a few years ever since a mate
of mine started an Italian bike shop, rode it about for a bit and
finally parked it in Bury. [note from the wife you will get used to him,
honest] Guzzi have for many years produced fine motorcycles but have
always fallen into the enthusiast’s niche in the market place due to the
faults/characteristics of the machines. Italians have long been known as
masters of style and elegance, less so for their grasp of quality when
it comes to wiring and paint. The Griso had been talked about for 3
years by Moto Guzzi but money problems etc, at the factory meant that
wasn’t until October 2005 that they were released in the UK to rave
reviews. My only concern was that the build quality had improved to
nearer that of the parent company Aprilia. I can now report that the
Guzzi have upped their game. The new range of Guzzi’s are a quantum leap
forward and the factory has put a lot of time and money into this
project.
 I
love the look of this bike, pretty and well…… just different. The vast
exhaust is the most talked about feature and polarises opinion. There is
no middle ground with the styling: you either love it or hate it but you
cannot ignore it. There is always someone who comes up to talk about it
(one asking how long it took me to build!). There is no doubt that it
plumps the ego riding it about though I don’t get this idea that a big
bike is an extension of the male anatomy, if that was true you just keep
pushing it in and out of the garage. Marianne thinks I have bought an
MLC (mid life crisis) bike. I pointed out to her that after 25 years or
more of biking my MLC would have to be a 1.6 Mondeo, some tartan
slippers and a couple of easy listening CDs.
Rather than being an MLC this is an old school roadster with a modern
twist. Turn the key on and the dash board goes into its song and dance
routine flashing lights and sweeping dials. The fuel injected motor
starts with just a dab of the button, going into a self start sequence
until the motor fires. Then it sits there gently throbbing, a blip of
the throttle and the bike tips slightly to the right in reaction to the
crank. Pull on the hydraulic clutch and the second little characteristic
comes to light. Ducati clutches rattle with the lever out- Grisos do it
with the lever in. No problem, just different. As you prod the gear
lever there is a complete lack of noise as the gears engage, so much so
that you have to look at the clear and user friendly dash to see if the
neutral light has gone out. [The neutral light needs talking about as
anyone who had an old Guzzi will tell you the light only confirms that
the bulb has not blown and the battery has enough power in it to
illuminate the blessed thing]. The gearbox is like a well oiled lamb,
none of the crash, bang, grind and false neutrals here. Just silk
covered soft things. And it’s the same story up and down the box. One
small glitch is slow speed riding in town where the fuel injection is
just a bit too on/off. New maps for the injection elves are out there to
sort it and will be installed as soon as they have finished their war
with the pixies. Happy pills, where are my happy pills? I digress…..
When
the chaps and chappesses at the factory were putting the Griso together
they happened past a big bin of Aprilia RSV Mille suspension and brake
parts, so off they went to the build area pockets bulging with top notch
shiny things to play with. The stunningly individual style of the Griso
with its elephant like pulling engine and crisp fuel injected throttle
response is backed up with real world handling. The wide bars help and
though it won’t put a race rep to shame, you won’t have egg on your face
either.
Comfort is pretty good and performance up to 70 mph is rather engaging.
Anything above that I could not possibly comment on personally but I
have been informed that a Griso is good for twice the legal limit if you
want it to. This is not a bike to ride flat out, it’s not what it’s:
about, find a twisty road and go play. It’s where I like to ride and
this bike loves it. If you see a Moto Guzzi blatting round Suffolk being
ridden by a big grin that will be me. The thing is a hoot to ride and
for all its modern features has lost none of the character for which the
mark is known. The shaft drive suffers none of the “climb” of the old
bikes being as it is fitted with a rather elegant single sided swinging
arm incorporating a floating bevel drive that isolates the suspension
and shaft drive forces. The tank is surprisingly capacious which means
the fuel light comes on at about 130 miles just about when your backside
wants a rest.
If
you are over 30 years old get a small child to help with the dash
displays. You have a plethora of things to play with:, 2 trips, a lap
timer and lots of other menus for service codes etc and if you want to
go overseas then you can convert to kilometres. Be warned though the
average mpg figure is calibrated for US gallons for some reason and
gives a disturbingly low average mpg and you can do a lot better
yourself.My darling wife informs me that (/16 * 20) will do the trick.
If
you have dismissed the Moto Guzzi range in the past for one reason or
another I would urge you to take another look as the bikes in the new
range have come along way from where they were 3 years ago.Go and have a
coffee with the kind folk at Max Moto at Bury St. Edmunds, [01284
701170] a fine bunch of people who support BSE MAG with raffle prizes
whenever we ask.
May
all your roads be twisty and all the law busy else where, Simon. |
