Moto Guzzi Norge first impressions

[DRONE]

Just for fun, I went back to Cycle-Ergo and plugged in the numbers for a rider with a 29" inseam sitting on a Norge. The knee angle goes to 87 degrees and the forward lean to 14 degrees. So, more forward lean of course because short legs means short arms, but having your knees at 87 degrees--no wonder the bike's so comfortable!

[LngRidr]

I want a Norge so bad. Someone please buy my car so i can fly out to seattle and get one!!!

[Hank.SD]

I got my 08 Norge 2 days ago. It had 4400 miles on it. I absolutely love it. Coming from sport bikes for the last 20 years, to me the seating position is down right luxurious. I have a 32" inseam and just don't see how anyone can complain about leg room, but it all boils down to expectations and what one is used to I guess.

The only thing I see as an obvious problem so far is the fork springs.. which are way too soft. I'll likely throw in a set of aftermarket springs as soon as possible.

My other concern is that my shiny new ZX-14R might gather a lot of dust now.

[DRONE]

Originally Posted by Hank.SD

I got my 08 Norge 2 days ago. It had 4400 miles on it. I absolutely love it. Coming from sport bikes for the last 20 years, to me the seating position is down right luxurious. I have a 32" inseam and just don't see how anyone can complain about leg room, but it all boils down to expectations and what one is used to I guess.

The only thing I see as an obvious problem so far is the fork springs.. which are way too soft. I'll likely throw in a set of aftermarket springs as soon as possible.

My other concern is that my shiny new ZX-14R might gather a lot of dust now.

So you pulled the trigger, huh? I think the forum rules state pretty clearly that if you get a new bike you gotta post pics of it!

With 1/3 the horsepower of your ZX, what's your plan for the Norge? Lazy sightseeing tours? Two-up touring? Trolling for cougars?

[Hank.SD]

Originally Posted by DRONE

So you pulled the trigger, huh? I think the forum rules state pretty clearly that if you get a new bike you gotta post pics of it!

With 1/3 the horsepower of your ZX, what's your plan for the Norge? Lazy sightseeing tours? Two-up touring? Trolling for cougars?

I'm hoping to combine the best of both worlds and do some two-up cougar trolling
It will be my daily driver and also the two-up bike for the Mrs. and me.

I don't have any good pictures of it yet!

[DRONE]

Anybody reading this thread and thinking about buying a Norge?

Well, look what just popped up in the FM!

2008 Moto Guzzi Norge

[joe cool]

Congratulations Hank! as Drone said you must post some pics
no need to chase cougars they will come running now!

[Scott of the Sahara]

That looks like a killer deal. Mine has just a bit more miles and it is barely broken in.

[jdgretz]

The Norge really does not get fully broken in until almost 10,000 miles. It just keeps getting better up to that point.

jdg

[Jackazz]

Man, you guys are killing me!
I'll have to stop in to Moto Int after work this week and take a spin on one. I sat on a Norge at a show this winter and was suprised at how right it felt.

JA

[cpallen]

Originally Posted by Jackazz

Man, you guys are killing me!
I'll have to stop in to Moto Int after work this week and take a spin on one. I sat on a Norge at a show this winter and was suprised at how right it felt.

JA

They have several on the floor - love the white one!
[Say it again - I don't need another motorcycle]

[DRONE]

Though the power on this bike is great, I'm bothered by decel popping. Not wanting to plunk down big bucks on a Power Commander or one of Todd's ECU re-flash jobs, I decided to try the FatDuc (thanks to jwdub for giving me the tip). If you don't know what this is, it's a device similar to a Boosterplug or an IICE Air. It fools the ECU into richening up the A/F ratio by convincing it that the ambient air temps are lower than they actually are. The FatDuc is also variable--you can dial more or less resistance into the circuit to find your sweet spot.

One problem is that the Guzzi ECU also monitors the O2 levels in the exhaust gasses and if things don't line up it throws a code. This shows up as an annoying red "check engine" light on the RID. The solution is to dial down the amount of adjustment until the red light goes out. I did that. Result? Marginal. I still have decel popping but it's not as bad as it was. So, live with it? Or pay Todd $500 () to flash my ECU? Just to fix some annoying decel popping. Hmmmmmmmmm.

[jdgretz]

Originally Posted by DRONE

One problem is that the Guzzi ECU also monitors the O2 levels in the exhaust gasses and if things don't line up it throws a code. This shows up as an annoying red "check engine" light on the RID. The solution is to dial down the amount of adjustment until the red light goes out. I did that. Result? Marginal. I still have decel popping but it's not as bad as it was. So, live with it? Or pay Todd $500 () to flash my ECU? Just to fix some annoying decel popping. Hmmmmmmmmm.

It's a shame he no longer sells the O2 Optimizer as a stand-alone product as that did what you are asking without throwing the code. I'm putting away my pennies to do the whole ECU/AutoTune/PowerCommander thing. If that works nearly as well as the O2 Optimizer did, I'll be way more than satisfied.

jdg

[Scott of the Sahara]

Here is the Norge, resting after going through the California Redwood Tree:

[g®eg]

hey Scott,

how do you like the slot in the windshield?