By Joe Berk
At this point in my life, I realize it’s an itch I’ll probably never get to scratch: The need to own a Moto Guzzi. It started back in the early 1970s, when I was exploring rural northern New Jersey on my ’71 CB 750 Honda (yes, there were and still are rural parts of New Jersey). I had stopped for gas at a sort of combination general store and gas station when a pair of full dress Moto Guzzis rumbled by. I heard them first, before I saw them, and from the sound I thought it would be a couple of Harleys. Moto Guzzis sound a lot like Harley-Davidsons. Moto Guzzis were new in America, and these were the first I had ever seen. They burbled on by, leaving a lasting image and their captivating ExhaustNotes in my mind.
So, about this sign from God business: A few days ago while channel surfing on Apple TV+, I saw another “Long Way” series from Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman. I had seen the other series from Ewan and Charlie and thought they were silly, almost an affront to real adventurers, guys like Dave Barr who had ridden around the world. You know, two dilletantes with more money than talent cashing in on the adventure motorcycle craze, versus Dave Barr, the real deal, a guy who rode around the world on his own dime on a trashed-out old Super Glide, one of the most unreliable motorcycles ever. Not finding anything more interesting as I brainlessly surfed through Apple’s offerings, The Long Way Home got a click from me. This time, the boys were on old bikes, an old BMW boxer and an old Moto Guzzi. It was the Guzzi that got my attention. I’m watching (and enjoying) the series. I’ll have a review of it posted here on ExNotes in the near future.
Then another thing happened. I visited Moto Guzzi Classics in Signal Hill and found myself in a sea of old Guzzis, like the stunning El Dorado you see at the top of this blog. Several of the old Guzzis were former police bikes, and I’ve always had a fascination for police motorcycles (I wrote a book about police bikes a few years ago).
Mark, the proprietor, specializes in bringing old Guzzis back to life. Mark doesn’t usually do 100-point restorations; Moto Guzzi Classics’ forte is in resurrections. You know, finding old bikes and getting them running again, kind of like Joe Gresh has done on his Zed and is currently doing on his Honda Dreams.
Mark let me snap a few photos of the 850 El Dorado and a former CHP police bike in his shop when I visited recently. It sure was fun.
So, about this sign from God business: I had to think that with all the Guzzi inputs occurring lately (The Long Way Home and the visit to Moto Guzzi Classics in Signal Hill), maybe it was a sign. Maybe there’s a Guzzi in my future? I thought so, until I realized there just aren’t any dealers around me to work on them. I think there’s one in Glendale, but Gresh and I had a bad experience with the Enfield provided by that dealer for our Baja adventure a few years ago. I think the next closest one is 120 miles away in San Diego. That was enough to sour me on the idea of a new Guzzi. But maybe a used one? Hey, who knows?
Join our Facebook ExNotes page!
Never miss an ExNotes blog:
Help us keep the lights on:
Don’t forget: Visit our advertisers!
Guzzi are cool?
They are. Always wanted one, but not enough to write the check.
The Moto Guzzi on that show was a Police Motor. I was offered a position to work for them in the early 2000’s trying to revive the police sales.
Selling into that market is a tough proposition, Mike. You did well not to take that job.
Thanks for commenting.
I was returning to Connecticut from a 4300 “romp” to Arkansas on my Triumph Tiger 1050 when I stopped at a motorcycle shop outside of Danbury. They had a new Moto Guzzi Stelvio in the back and I was quite smitten. The only machine I had ever met that rivaled my Tiger in appearance and feel. But alas the dirty, crusty Tiger in the parking lot had treated me to a week of thrills on the road and I decided it best to leave the Stelvio in its place and get the Tiger home and prepped for it’s next adventure. That was probably a dozen years ago and the Tiger is still with me. Maybe I should have ADDED the Stelvio to the garage and shared the upcoming adventures between two machines……
That last sentence says it all, Fred. Maybe this, maybe that…
Your Triumph has served you well.
Thanks for commenting.
Now those Guzzi are cool. Not so much days of the ambassador etc
Had an “67 ev7 that I never put on the road . Big mistake
They are cool. They sound great, too.
The most I can add is that I had a Kawasaki Zx12r and it was my everything bike. I went with a friend to drop off a Guzzi he had at the dealership (Moto International) and Dave Richardson offered up a 2002 Moto Guzzi Lemans V11 to take for a ride. I jumped on it and got lost for a hour or so and brought it back to them. While I was riding it, I kept thinking “who the hell rides these?”. They were noise mechanically and when revved went side to side and had that rattling clutch. I decided that day that it wasn’t for me for the most part, back to the Japanese bikes I went. Well one came my way cheap, and I bought it and started to ride it and bam… just like that I was hooked. They sound wonderful and they have lots of torque and they are well supported in the aftermarket and easy to work on for the most part by yourself. They are not for everyone, but ride one and I bet you will feel the need to own one. Join the MGNOC and find likeminded people and you will not have a problem with help.
Great inputs and a great story. Thanks for commenting, Jim.
The old Guzzi’s were slow, lumbering dogs. The Ambassador I rode was stupefying. As you can tell, I hated it.
The new ones are much better. Peppy, not bad. I might be tempted to own one if I came across a good deal.
Good deals are always tempting. A good deal on a Guzzi would be really tempting.