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I've got one of the fuckin' things & I don't get it either. A V7 II. I bought the bike for a handful of weird reasons. I knew fuckall about bikes in general, or about the Guzzi brand. But I saw that it was a shaft drive with a 6 gallon fuel tank & I liked that. It was small and fairly light with a demure 44HP totally unintimidating engine and ABS and traction control. The outside looked all pretty and it wasn't a Bonneville like the rest of the bikes in my city. I really hated the sport bike look. The gas mileage was solid and emissions were ahead of the game & up to Euro standards. Two years later... I hate taking it on the highway. The brake fluid reservoir started leaking on like day 6. I blew out a seal in the rear drive and sprayed oil all over the tire. It's due to go back into the shop shortly to get another oil leak around the alternator cleared up. Waiting for parts to show up is a common thing. The electrical system has got some gremlins in it, but only on Tuesdays and the 3rd Thursday in alternating months. Old men aggressively track me down to talk to me when they see it. Matte loving black always looks filthy. The EFI system is so warped by Euro4 that the bike runs super hot and it's air cooled. I still hate the sport bike look, but a Versys is lookin' mighty fine right now, or maybe the 800GS. Fender fucked around with this message at 22:07 on May 24, 2018 |
# ? May 24, 2018 21:53 |
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# ? May 22, 2024 14:50 |
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Fender posted:I still hate the sport bike look, but a Versys is lookin' mighty fine right now, or maybe the 800GS. I’ve put 50,000 miles on my 800GS in 3 years, and i love it, even though it’s a little quirky. The versys is probably better (and less expensive), though.
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# ? May 24, 2018 23:23 |
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The local Guzzi shop discounts the everloving gently caress out of their bikes because they KNOW they're going to make it back times 10 in parts and service. Outside California and Florida there's an average of ~1.5 Guzzi dealers per state. I have no idea how in the gently caress they manage to sell touring models with a dealer network like that. I ran into a hipster chick who rode a V7 III Special at a Yamaha demo day last year. Poor girl was fending off grandpas left right and center waiting for her turn on one of the demo rides, and her bike left a little puddle of oil behind when she finally left. Jazzzzz fucked around with this message at 00:28 on May 25, 2018 |
# ? May 25, 2018 00:20 |
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Guzzis are all over the place. Most of the modern ones are meh. I rode a 1996 1100 Sport that was fairly awesome but heavy. Awesome style though, looked like a bright red missile. I owned an 84 V65SP that was nice and light with decent power but unreliable and kinda crappy feeling. I worked on and rode a '72 Eldorado that was totally awesome. A lot like an airhead BMW. Felt like it would run forever, and supposedly they usually do. Unlike the modern ones.
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# ? May 25, 2018 02:25 |
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Is there any reason to buy a genuine bead rider seat over something like this? No way am I paying $70 for a bunch of woven beads in 2018. https://www.amazon.com/Zento-Deals-...bead+seat+cover My problem is that when it's really hot my butt sweats and then I guess gets highly frictional and it's just hot and painful to sit on the bike. So I need to do something about that. Also, what's a really good mesh or vented riding pant/overpant for tall people? My Aerostich overpants are becoming a nightmare in the heat.
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# ? May 25, 2018 04:28 |
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Coydog posted:Also, what's a really good mesh or vented riding pant/overpant for tall people? My Aerostich overpants are becoming a nightmare in the heat. Revit Airwave 2. Or Tornado 2 if you like spending more money for slightly nicer but functionally the same. I use mine as overpants or with just boxers under depending on where I’m going and how hot it is.
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# ? May 25, 2018 18:04 |
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Coydog posted:Is there any reason to buy a genuine bead rider seat over something like this? No way am I paying $70 for a bunch of woven beads in 2018. Embrace the beads. The beads are your friend.
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# ? May 25, 2018 21:35 |
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YOLOsubmarine posted:Revit Airwave 2. Or Tornado 2 if you like spending more money for slightly nicer but functionally the same. I use mine as overpants or with just boxers under depending on where I’m going and how hot it is. Thanks! I went and ordered a pair today. Fingers crossed that they fit. its all nice on rice posted:Embrace the beads. The beads are your friend. Is it ok if I embrace the 1/7th price beads?
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# ? May 25, 2018 22:44 |
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Coydog posted:
Go hog wild.
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# ? May 26, 2018 01:58 |
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Slavvy posted:While we're here can someone explain guzzis to me? I've ridden all kinds of bikes and besides the handful of obvious miserable paperweights (KLR, Chinese bikes etc) I've always been able to understand why any given bike would appeal to someone, somewhere. I have a 2015 V7 and I basically bought it because they were trying to clear their old stock for the V7 IIs and were offering it at a deep discount. Its in the same retro standard class as the triumph bonnevilles, and is probably worse in every regard, but they look cool and are unique and make a cool vroom noise when you lay on the throttle and kinda twitch sideways when you rev at a stop light. The older V7 (not the II or III) is even worse than the more recent ones. Instead of 6 gears it has 5, and its probably the worst shifting transmission I've ever seen. No real feel when you get it into gear, false neutrals everywhere, sometimes neutral light is on but whoops its in gear and you killed it. Just awful. Also no ABS Other than an electrical issue that required a tow (apparently it was some part they knew had a recall out? Uh, could have been more proactive about that...) mine has been relatively reliable for the Idk if I'd buy another one though, maybe if you can find one pretty cheap. ADINSX fucked around with this message at 06:30 on May 26, 2018 |
# ? May 26, 2018 06:27 |
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I've got a 2014 Griso. Good machine, lots of power, looks super sweet, handles surpsingly well for a large and heavy as it is. Tons of character - but thats what people will tell you about Guzzis. "Guzzi's have character!" What does character mean? Well, it's not always positive. For instance the CARC bikes (like my Griso) are very grumpy bitches when they wake up - the fueling after a cold start before everything is nice and warm is bad - jerky as gently caress, just not great. Runs fine once it's warm and doesnt really hurt much - it's character! The way the engine responds at different RPMs, loads of low-end torque and actually a decent amount of HP at the top of the tach - character! Kind of a useless rear brake - character. The engine shake when you blip the throttle. Speaking of throttle, that drat Guzzi likes to go fast - it really likes the revs which is odd, but fun - you can get on the highway and have it aired out to well over 100 before you ever clear the on-ramp, which is some moves considering the weight. Basically everything the bikes does someone conveys a sort of anthropomorphized "personality" which other bikes I've owned just don't have. It's very easy to attribute various idiosyncrasies the bikes has as it communicating with you and you learning how to get along with it. It's endearing, it really is. My Triumph Street Triple I had before this thing was a better bike, no question - but I like my Griso more. Speaking of Grisos, the CARC line got murdered and they sell so few anyway dealerships are massively discounting them - a brand new one can be had for like 10 and some change - which is a loving steal - that bikes is worth every penny and if you are even halfway considering a new motorcycle this season you owe it to yourself to go look at one. Reliability wise, mines been great, still reasonably low mileage because I didn't ride last year to speak of , but it's given me no problem, tranny is nice, engine is nice, doesn't burn anything, doesn't leak anything, no weird electrical gremlins - good bike. Did I mention it's pretty? Oh so pretty.
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# ? May 26, 2018 14:39 |
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The V7 III really does something for me. I should swap my StreetTriple for one. Commuting and city riding type of poo poo. Would still have my CBR for squid life.
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# ? May 26, 2018 16:11 |
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Casual Encountess posted:i'm in boston so we have a heavily reduced riding season. pfffft who's this *we* Boston is rideable ~10 months out of the year. edit: granted not every day of those 10 months Jarmak fucked around with this message at 06:53 on May 28, 2018 |
# ? May 28, 2018 06:49 |
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Anyone have experience with TORC helmets? I'd like to swap out my helmet for something that's ECE rated, and I really like the look of their T-1. The reviews on Amazon are good, but there aren't that many. Doesn't look like RevZilla sells them, so no reviews there.
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# ? May 30, 2018 12:29 |
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The amount of typos on that website would give me serious concerns.
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# ? May 30, 2018 12:56 |
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Communist Walrus posted:Anyone have experience with TORC helmets? I'd like to swap out my helmet for something that's ECE rated, and I really like the look of their T-1. The reviews on Amazon are good, but there aren't that many. Doesn't look like RevZilla sells them, so no reviews there. Bear in mind that the ECE rating will only be as an open-face helmet because there's literally no way that chinbar is putting up with a decent frontal impact - and if it did the rear of the helmet is going to be a guillotine on your spine. Also just at a glance it's got poo poo venting and that ping-pong ball profile is going to give you serious neckache at any decent speed. I mean if you absolutely have to go retro look at the AGV retro repaints, and then you get something that actually functions like a modern helmet.
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# ? May 30, 2018 19:05 |
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Since there was boot chat recently. I took a look at the Forma Adventures, and they look nice. I'm not sold on the molded sole however. Anyone have experience with the Terra Evo? https://www.formabootsusa.com/collections/dual-sport-adv-boots/products/terra-evo-brown
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# ? May 30, 2018 20:44 |
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Tremblay posted:Since there was boot chat recently. I took a look at the Forma Adventures, and they look nice. I'm not sold on the molded sole however. Anyone have experience with the Terra Evo? What is it about the molded sole you don't like?
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# ? May 30, 2018 21:24 |
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:What is it about the molded sole you don't like? My expectation is that the stitched sole on the Evo would be a little stiffer. Also easier to re-sole. It looks like a decent boot, don't get me wrong.
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# ? May 30, 2018 21:39 |
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Kastivich posted:The amount of typos on that website would give me serious concerns. It's a new moder, dude. What' werry about?
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# ? May 30, 2018 22:30 |
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Tremblay posted:My expectation is that the stitched sole on the Evo would be a little stiffer. Also easier to re-sole. It looks like a decent boot, don't get me wrong. Just curious. My Salomon hiking boots have an identical sole to the Forma Adventures, and there was basically no breakin time. I also have a pair of Gaerne adventure boots with a stitched sole and they're not really much stiffer. I'm not sure what the material is, but the option is there to replace them with vibram or something stiffer when the time comes.
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# ? May 30, 2018 22:30 |
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:Just curious. My Salomon hiking boots have an identical sole to the Forma Adventures, and there was basically no breakin time. I also have a pair of Gaerne adventure boots with a stitched sole and they're not really much stiffer. I'm not sure what the material is, but the option is there to replace them with vibram or something stiffer when the time comes. I'll probably pull the trigger, looks like new enough still does super easy returns.
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# ? May 30, 2018 22:36 |
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I need a pair of pants for riding that are more comfortable and practical than my leathers, but I don't want to compromise too much on protection. Ideally jeans would be as good as textile pants, but it seems like that's not the case. Are pants like REV'IT Tornado 2s going to offer a fair amount more protection than Klim k fifty 2 jeans? Even for textile pants it seems hard to compare protection, I had to search around to figure out the A* A-10 pants use a weaker material than the REV'IT ones. I got a $400 gift card to revzilla so I'm trying to keep it roughly there or below, but I could spend more if it was really worth it. The Saint Unbreakable jeans sounded nice in terms of slide protection, but I don't think they have any armor built in. Ideally they'd look less adventure touring than a lot of the textile pants, but I'd take some dorkiness for increased safety. I just want something I can wear in summer and comfortably walk around in. *edit* waterpoof / goretex isn't really important to me, fwiw
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# ? May 30, 2018 23:28 |
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MomJeans420 posted:I need a pair of pants for riding that are more comfortable and practical than my leathers, but I don't want to compromise too much on protection. Ideally jeans would be as good as textile pants, but it seems like that's not the case. Are pants like REV'IT Tornado 2s going to offer a fair amount more protection than Klim k fifty 2 jeans? Even for textile pants it seems hard to compare protection, I had to search around to figure out the A* A-10 pants use a weaker material than the REV'IT ones. I got a $400 gift card to revzilla so I'm trying to keep it roughly there or below, but I could spend more if it was really worth it. The Saint Unbreakable jeans sounded nice in terms of slide protection, but I don't think they have any armor built in. The Aether Ramble is made of Schoeller Dynatec, which is supposedly very abrasion resistant, and then include D30 hip and knee armor and look mostly like normal slacks. They're super comfortable because the material has some stretch to it and is lighter weight than kevlar lined jeans. https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/aether-ramble-pants Spidi also has a single layer jean like the Saint unbreakables, but it includes knee armor and has hip armor pockets. https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/spidi-j-dyneema-jeans One or both of these will probably be my next purchase. I'd have gotten the Aether pants last week when I was in San Francisco, but I really needed a decent cool weather jacket more, so I got their Rally jacket instead. But I really liked the pants. YOLOsubmarine fucked around with this message at 23:50 on May 30, 2018 |
# ? May 30, 2018 23:42 |
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Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do with old motorcycle helmets? I thought about tossing them in the trash, but there's probably a more environmentally-friendly way of disposal?
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# ? May 31, 2018 03:17 |
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Butt Reactor posted:Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do with old motorcycle helmets? I thought about tossing them in the trash, but there's probably a more environmentally-friendly way of disposal? Mythbusters-style testing?
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# ? May 31, 2018 03:23 |
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Butt Reactor posted:Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do with old motorcycle helmets? I thought about tossing them in the trash, but there's probably a more environmentally-friendly way of disposal? Apparently EMTs will take them to use for training, though admittedly this is just something I read here and haven't tried myself
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# ? May 31, 2018 04:00 |
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Are there any decent (and decently priced) one piece rain suits that don't require extensive gymnastics training to get in and out of with your boots on? I see lots of stuff that claims to be easy-on, but also lots of unnecessarily elasticated cuffs and zippers that seem like they don't quite go far enough. I guess I'm looking for trip reports really.
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# ? May 31, 2018 10:02 |
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Renaissance Robot posted:Are there any decent (and decently priced) one piece rain suits that don't require extensive gymnastics training to get in and out of with your boots on? Carry a plastic bag (or two) with you. Place bag over boot, boot slides into trouser leg easy as anything. If you carry two, leave them in place and hey presto your summer boots are now waterproof.
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# ? May 31, 2018 12:51 |
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Huh. That is... incredibly obvious now you mention it, but I'd never have thought of it. Neat, I'll just get whatever looks half decent then, thanks!
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# ? May 31, 2018 13:05 |
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YOLOsubmarine posted:The Aether Ramble is made of Schoeller Dynatec, which is supposedly very abrasion resistant, and then include D30 hip and knee armor and look mostly like normal slacks. They're super comfortable because the material has some stretch to it and is lighter weight than kevlar lined jeans. These pants look really nice but they're out of stock in my size, I may have to keep my eye out for them. Or buy some textile not as stylish pants on RevZilla, then maybe buy these on some other site so I can wear them for casual fridays.
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# ? May 31, 2018 16:53 |
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Renaissance Robot posted:Huh. That is... incredibly obvious now you mention it, but I'd never have thought of it. Neat, I'll just get whatever looks half decent then, thanks! Weirdly enough I learned that from a trainee nurse I was dating who told me it's how you get compression socks onto someone unconscious or unable to move their feet. It's one of those bits of wisdom that is genuinely irritating with how obvious it is.
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# ? May 31, 2018 16:58 |
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MomJeans420 posted:These pants look really nice but they're out of stock in my size, I may have to keep my eye out for them. Or buy some textile not as stylish pants on RevZilla, then maybe buy these on some other site so I can wear them for casual fridays. Because of the stretch you may be able to go a size down. I’d usually be a 31 but the 30s worked fine for me.
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# ? May 31, 2018 17:47 |
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Even with that I'm screwed, but I'll keep my eye out for them in the future. Gear review: I've worn my Knox Handroid's enough now to say I really like them. My previous gloves were A* SP-2's, which I liked at the time, but the Handroid's feel more substantial in every way. They're easier to get on and off while at the same time they seem more likely to stay on in an accident. There is a nice wrist strap that even tucks nicely under a leather flap, and the boa system for tightening them is pretty cool. You push the button down and turn the knob to tighten them, just takes a second, then you pull up the knob when you want to release them. I bought them because I wanted a pair with scaphoid sliders, which seem like they'd work. At first I thought the finger protectors that slide were a gimmick that looks cool, and it may be, but I was playing with them the other day and they may actually help cushion some of the impact to the bones of your fingers. They broke in much quicker than my SP-2s, I think it was only a couple of rides until they felt great and I was used to them. The only time I wear my SP-2s is if I'm going out and leaving my gloves in my tank bag, just because the Handroids are so pricey. One of the reviews online talked about the metal strap for your wrist being right where a bone is and hurting their hand, which I can feel when I put them on, but once I'm on the bike I don't notice it in the slightest. *edit* Forgot to add I wear an XL A* glove, but had to upgrade to XXL for these. At first I was thinking I could even go up to a XXXL, but once broken in the XXL feels pretty nice. I probably should have measured my hands before buying them, but I was ordering from work and wanted instant gratification. MomJeans420 fucked around with this message at 19:25 on Jun 1, 2018 |
# ? Jun 1, 2018 19:23 |
I've considered the Handroids but not being able to try on something as personal as a glove is a dealbreaker for me. I tried on 7-8 sets of race gloves before deciding on my Five RFX-1s which I'd recommend to anyone, wore them 5 days in a row for 500kmish per day and no rub spots but has all the same protectors as the other high end race gloves. A good mate swears by Handroids, and I trust his judgement but not being able to try on multiple sizes to find the best fit just doesn't work as sizing especially gloves is wack across brands.
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# ? Jun 2, 2018 11:07 |
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Their sizing is pretty true to measure, if you follow the instructions on their website for how to measure glove size and go a size down if you're in between (break in can be tough but they do stretch out a lot, and you want a snug fit). I'm not sure about the US, but they do free returns in the UK if you order direct from Knox (which I did, which is how I know the full gauntlet handroids don't suit me)
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# ? Jun 2, 2018 11:24 |
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I just ordered from revzilla, all I lost was the $7 to ship the first pair back, it was pretty painless.
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# ? Jun 2, 2018 17:10 |
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How's the ventilation? Looks like the Held Airstreams I bought last year are never going to loosen up enough around my thumbs to be all day comfortable and the next size up is too big.
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# ? Jun 2, 2018 23:07 |
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I'd say the airflow is pretty much zero, but I think that bothers me less in the summer than having too much cold air on my hands in the winter. It was in the low 80s here today and I didn't really feel any cooling breeze on my hands with them on.
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# ? Jun 3, 2018 03:09 |
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# ? May 22, 2024 14:50 |
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What is my best bet for motorcycle boots that don't look loving ridiculous? I want something that doesn't skimp on holding my feet together, but looks more-or-less like a normal-ish shoe, something that I can walk around and not feel a bit silly. Lightweight would be nice - there are plenty of things that look like traditional boots, but I hate the weight of them.
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# ? Jun 3, 2018 21:36 |