05-29-2018, 08:28 PM
1982 Moto Guzzi V50 III. Bought new. I intended it to be my commuter, and it was pretty awful at that. It had a terrible habit of shutting down at inopportune times due to a bad connection at the ignition switch. I recall fiddly points and carburetor adjustments, and an oil leak or two.
Then one day that horrid bike just decided to throw me to the ground when I mounted it in a parking lot. At the time it was only a few years old, with 18K miles and looked like new. I sold it to a friend for $500; he LOVED it and rode it for 12 years, then sold it for $1200!
That bike hated me, and I hated it. Then, in 2014, I made the mistake of falling in love with another Moto Guzzi, a 2003 California Aluminium. That one, at least, wasn't unreliable junk, but the vibration and utterly stupid gearing (way high; you never get out of third gear unless on the highway) made my ardor fade. I sold that one to another friend (who loves it) and the CB1100 took its place in my garage.
The CB1100 is a winner!
Then one day that horrid bike just decided to throw me to the ground when I mounted it in a parking lot. At the time it was only a few years old, with 18K miles and looked like new. I sold it to a friend for $500; he LOVED it and rode it for 12 years, then sold it for $1200!
That bike hated me, and I hated it. Then, in 2014, I made the mistake of falling in love with another Moto Guzzi, a 2003 California Aluminium. That one, at least, wasn't unreliable junk, but the vibration and utterly stupid gearing (way high; you never get out of third gear unless on the highway) made my ardor fade. I sold that one to another friend (who loves it) and the CB1100 took its place in my garage.
The CB1100 is a winner!