Yesterday, I had the opportunity to test ride the new Moto Guzzi 1100 Sport at a local dealer. I arrived at a quarter to six in the evening just to talk about the bike, but the dealer invited me to a test ride [gasp] which I gladly accepted. I had three quarters of an hour (in Germany, stores close at 18:30).
Note that the 1100 Sport is the first Guzzi, and in fact the first Italian bike, I have ever ridden. I am used to Japanese twins and inline fours and have ridden two BMW's so far: F650 and R 850 R.
The bike was SFI red, about 1800 km on the odo, so it was just broken in. Road conditions were ranging from reasonably dry to damp, with an ambient temperature of about 4 deg. Celsius.
The dealer wheeled the bike outside and started it up. There's nothing quite like a big twin barking through the night. He left the choke alone and preferred to see her through the first minute with short blasts on the throttle. Meanwhile, I tried to press my face, complete with ear-to-ear grin, into the helmet and got ready.
Seating position is sporty, though not uncomfortable. The long seat allows a variety of seating positions. Either close to the tank with a reasonably upright upper body, or way back against the butt rest, leaned low over the tank. I am 6' 1" and felt very comfortable on the bike. I also like to sit "on" the bike, rather than "in" it.
Ok, pull in the dry clutch [jingle, jingle], and plopp into first gear. The neutral light goes out, but the gears aren't engaged. The Guzzi gearbox needs a definite kick to cleanly engage the gears. It's neither good nor bad IMHO, you simply need to pay attention. The same goes for switching into neutral, with the added difficulty of the neutral light operating almost (but not completely) independently from the shift position.
Anyways, rev the engine to about 1500/min and slowly let go of the clutch. The bike moves forward vehemently and the old lesson of displacement being irreplaceable is driven home one more time. First gear isn't too long, so I didn't need a lot of clutch work.
Even though the trottle has a *very* long travel (more about that later), both clutch and throttle operate smoothly. The bike is rather nice for jockeying around in the city and even stop and go traffic is ok.
By the time I reach the city limits I have thoroughly gotten used to the bike. The suspension is most amazing. The Marzocchi forks and White Power rear shock work absolutely great. Low speeds, high speeds, ripples on the road surface, or major bumps - everything is absorbed perfectly. I didn't bother to mess around with the factory settings, but everything is fully adjustable, even while on the bike. Likewise, the brakes are excellent. The front disks are beyond doubt, and the rear one bites very nicely as well.
Hmm, one more red light to go. I put her into neutral and enjoy the puzzled looks from the cagers around me. The Guzzi produces a very distinctive, low rumble which isn't exactly loud but very noticeable (and different from any Japanese m/c). On comes the yellow, and I carelessly step on the shift lever while still looking around. Mistake! This bike does not accept anything less than full attention from the rider. If you think you have just another piece of far eastern machinery that you needn't pay attention to, you'll hear about it. To ride and enjoy this bike, you'll need to pay 100% attention. If you don't, it isn't fun. If you do, it's addictive.
Ok, lady - have it your way. Let go of the clutch, pull it back in and kick the lever down. [ka-chunk] First gear. The gear box is rather noisy, and whatever you do, there's some aural feedback. I really like to feel and hear what is going on, which is why I strongly dislike the BMW R 850 R's gear box.
And, while comparing the Guzzi to the Beemer, the V-twin is a lot less noticeable in terms of tilting the bike one way or another during up- and downshifts, or while playing with the throttle at a red light. A *lot* less... It seems to have a much lighter flywheel, just like the commercial says.
Ok, let the fun begin. Ahead is a nice stretch of 100 km/h country two-lane. I pull first, second, and third up to 6000/min before shifting and like the effortless, yet powerful, acceleration. At 6000/min in fourth, things begin to slow down a little. Seems like the magazine jerks had a particularly good example, as it feels like my Goose has less than the official 90 hp. Just for good measure I twist the throttle further... and further, and further, and still it isn't in the WFO position... :-? Ok, grab it again, and yank it wide open, and WOAHH!!! the engine barks sharply and the bike leaps forward in a frenzy. I never imagined that an as antiquated looking motor as the Guzzi twin could produce so much power in such an aggressive way.
Protection from the elements is surprisingly good. In fact, much better than on the full faired Kawasaki ZX-9 R I tested on Sunday. On the highway, you simply push back on the seat as far as you can and rest on the tank.
Now, don't get me wrong: the Guzzi is not a bike that let's you travel fast easily. On a modern Jap inline-4, you get on, pull the first 3 gears up to 50% of redline, look at the speedo, and Oops!, 150 km/h. Not so on the Guzzi. You know what the bike is doing all the time. There's vibration, there's the stubborn gearbox, there's rumble and excitement. Like I said above, everything you do you do in a more intense way than on a Jap bike. I really like that, especially when remembering just how much time I spend in the danger zone when riding Kwak.
Ok, the fun is almost over. I pull a U-turn in the middle of nowhere and head back to the dealership. Up ahead I see a crotch rocket cruising along. I shift down [clunk] and yank the throttle open. The gap closes fast and I pull alongside him. Puzzled looks from the other guy (he didn't see me, but he can hear me now :-). A few more traffic lights and still more looks from passers by and the most exciting ride of my life so far is over.
As you can probably tell by now I'm completely thrilled. I have long been fascinated by the looks and sounds of the big twins from Mandello del'Lario, and now I'm a fan. I haven't taken the bike anywhere near it's limits simply because I didn't want to dump it. There's lot's of potential left in it I'm sure.
I absolutely want to own that bike for varying reasons:
I'm willing to put up with the things that seperate a Guzzi from a Kawasaki:
I can see a few things I'd like to change over time:
The bike is in production right now and the dealer has sold all he could get within the next 1/4 year. Earliest date of delivery for new orders is March 1995. Price is DM 18,000, about what a Yamaha FJ 1200 or YZF 750 R cost.
When I got back onto Kwak, I had a hard time adjusting to her. I had gotten used to the hard throttle and clutch and almost ripped the carbs from the bike. :-) Back on my bike, the Guzzi felt natural, everything seemed to fit the dominating engine. The Kwak felt as if it had no character. She runs nicely, but she's not exiting.
Oh dear, my poor bank account... Oh, and where do I sign up for an Italian language course? :-))