Moto Guzzi Norge first impressions

[Roadscum]

Originally Posted by Jamming

Wow! I really like the Norge. Couple of questions for you all lucky enough to already own one.

Are the valves screw type? Adjustment interval?
I've put 60,000 miles on a 1050 Tiger in 2.5 years, will the Norge stand up to the abuse? I do all my own maintence and am a professinal wrench, so I'm ok there.

How's the passenger seat? Is it good for all day and multi-day rides? My Wife is 5 foot even and 110 lbs. I'm 5' 7" with a 30 inch inseam.

How's the side cases and can I get a top case for the Wife to lean on?

I'm looking for a simple, low maintence, 2-up Tourer.

Valve adjustment and all fluids changed at 6K mile intervals, yes...... screw type Valve adjusters. So easy even a cave man can do it!

Some taller riders complain of cramped leg space for the rider, shouldn't be a problem for you.

Side cases suck, they leak. When I tried to have my panniers replaced or repaired under warrenty, I was told it wouldn't matter..."they all leak".........

I own a 1200 Sport which is a Norge w/o the tuppperware and have added the Norge seat and panniers. I've had the MG about a year now and have over 12K miles on it. It's had some issues but I think it's finally well sorted. This is my 1st MG after over 45 years of riding and I enjoy the MG, warts an all. It has grown on me and I now understand the allure.

[Roadscum]

Originally Posted by Jamming

Wow! I really like the Norge. Couple of questions for you all lucky enough to already own one.

Are the valves screw type? Adjustment interval?
I've put 60,000 miles on a 1050 Tiger in 2.5 years, will the Norge stand up to the abuse? I do all my own maintence and am a professinal wrench, so I'm ok there.

How's the passenger seat? Is it good for all day and multi-day rides? My Wife is 5 foot even and 110 lbs. I'm 5' 7" with a 30 inch inseam.

How's the side cases and can I get a top case for the Wife to lean on?

I'm looking for a simple, low maintence, 2-up Tourer.

Valve adjustment and all fluids changed at 6K mile intervals, yes...... screw type Valve adjusters. So easy even a cave man can do it!

Some taller riders complain of cramped leg space for the rider, shouldn't be a problem for you.

Side cases suck, they leak. When I tried to have my panniers replaced or repaired under warrenty, I was told it wouldn't matter..."they all leak".........

I own a 1200 Sport which is a Norge w/o the tuppperware and have added the Norge seat and panniers. I've had the MG about a year now and have over 12K miles on it. It's had some issues but I think it's finally well sorted. This is my 1st MG in my over 45 years of riding and I enjoy the MG, warts an all. It has grown on me and I now understand the allure.

[Meltdown]

Originally Posted by Scott of the Sahara

[IMG][/IMG]

All in all I am extremely happy with this bike. I am surprised that more people have not discovered Moto Guzzi's

That is a great looking bike.

[jdgretz]

Originally Posted by Jamming

Wow! I really like the Norge. Couple of questions for you all lucky enough to already own one.

Are the valves screw type? Adjustment interval?

How's the passenger seat? Is it good for all day and multi-day rides? My Wife is 5 foot even and 110 lbs. I'm 5' 7" with a 30 inch inseam.

How's the side cases and can I get a top case for the Wife to lean on?

I'm looking for a simple, low maintenance, 2-up Tourer.

The maintenance intervals are 10K Kilometers or 6250 Miles.

The valves are screw type and take about 30minutes to adjust the first time - that's allowing for R&R of the valve covers as well. Very simple to do. There is a plug on the front of the engine that gives access to a 23mm nut (IIRC) you can use to position the cylinders to TDC.

My wife is 5'7" and is quite comfortable on the seat, but says she gets a bit of wind buffeting at higher speeds, so for longer distance freeway stuff she prefers to ride her own bike. A taller windscreen might fix that.

There are several options for top cases with the two most popular being Givi and the Guzzi case. The Givi case will move the passenger forward a bit, even more if you add the pad. The Guzzi case sits back further giving the passenger and your nuts a bit more room. The Guzzi case costs more, will not hold two full face helmets and has in the past had some issues with falling off. Those issues have been solved, but I wouldn't buy a used Guzzi top case just for that reason. The helmet issue may or may not be a big deal as each side case will hold one helmet with about 1/2 the volume still available for other stuff.

The Givi top case will hold two full face helmets with a bit of room left over. With either case, you have about the same volume, they are just configured differently.

The panniers seem to retain water in the handle area which then flows into the case when you open them. Some folks have used different gaskets with varying results. The best option seems to be plastic bags. I have not run into that issue yet, so I have no opinion. I purchased the Guzzi internal liner/bags and would not do so again. I have yet to use them, and there are custom made bags available for substantially less money.

Great bikes. I love mine.

But you do have to put up with people asking about it whenever and wherever you park. It's just a burden we Guzzi owners have to shoulder

jdg

[Scott of the Sahara]

Here are a few pics from my trip to Glacier Montana, Last week.
We rode 1575 miles in 9 days and my average was 47.5 MPG. Most of the time my wife was riding on the back but a couple of days she rode in the car that was following us.

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

we are in Darrington WA. on the return home

[IMG][/IMG]

[brad2064]

I'm 6'1" bout 235lbs. Will this bike fit me well? I got about a 33" inseam.

[Scott of the Sahara]

You would have to try it out. My friend Bill rode it and he is very tall maybe 6'2" and he liked it. I am happy that I can flat foot the bike, especially if my wife is on back.

[beeper]

Rode an '08 this week. Legroom was not an issue for me even with a 36" inseam but the riding position was more sporty than I was looking for. Also the engine was a bit vibey for my taste although the sound was sweet. Of course this bike had less than 5000 miles on it and I understand they get smoother with age.
Another issue for me was the placement of the gauges, the angle was all wrong for me making them difficult to read at a glance, beautiful to look at while sitting still, just placed at an odd angle.
A lovely bike to gaze upon but just not the bike for me.

[Sock Monkey]

Originally Posted by XTrooper

Beautiful bikes, guys!

I'm currently riding a '09 BMW R1200RT, but the Norge really intrigues me. I love the RT, but I'm easily bored and rarely keep vehicles more than 3 or 4 years. When I start looking for a replacement for my RT, the Norge is going to be a top contender.

The only thing that really concerns me is the lack of cruise control. With my old, arthritic hands, cruise is a necessity, not a luxury. Are there good, aftermarket fixes for the lack of a factory cruise control option?

Thanks!

Before buying my Norge in Sept of last year (got a SMOKIN' deal on a held over '08), I test rode the Norge back to back with the RT....twice! While the RT is a very nice bike, I fell in love with the "old world" feel and sound of the big Guzzi V-Twin. I felt the Norge was a more "sporting" RT....or think of it as an RT's hooligan cousin. Felt loads lighter than the RT (the RT is quite a bit taller) and snapped side to side in the twisties with much less effort. Also fueled cleaner down low, engine and tranny were smoother throughout their ranges.

Just coming up on 10k miles after 11 months of ownership and I'd buy it all over again. Like another poster said, I have no clue why there aren't more of these on the road, because they are fantastic bikes.

Re. the cruise control, I put a heavy Throttlemeister on mine and just love it. Gives me a rest when I need it on long rides. Highly recommended.

-NoVector

[p3ga]

Originally Posted by Wistrick

I love my Norge 09....Despite the fact I am gonna have to take it in under warranty to have the front engine seal fixed...Oil leak....only other gripe is the heat on my feet when temps are over 95....but a ecu reflash will usually solve that issue







great bike, wife llikes it much better for 2up for than the vfr

Dan

Oh, I wish you wouldn't have posted photos - saw the silver eagle, your bike reminds me too much of the '02 V11 LeMans I had, which was a similar hue (think MG called the color "champagne"). Just too classy, you have fine tastes in motorcycles....

[XTrooper]

Originally Posted by NoVector

Before buying my Norge in Sept of last year (got a SMOKIN' deal on a held over '08), I test rode the Norge back to back with the RT....twice! While the RT is a very nice bike, I fell in love with the "old world" feel and sound of the big Guzzi V-Twin. I felt the Norge was a more "sporting" RT....or think of it as an RT's hooligan cousin. Felt loads lighter than the RT (the RT is quite a bit taller) and snapped side to side in the twisties with much less effort. Also fueled cleaner down low, engine and tranny were smoother throughout their ranges.

Just coming up on 10k miles after 11 months of ownership and I'd buy it all over again. Like another poster said, I have no clue why there aren't more of these on the road, because they are fantastic bikes.

Re. the cruise control, I put a heavy Throttlemeister on mine and just love it. Gives me a rest when I need it on long rides. Highly recommended.

-NoVector

Thanks for your insight into the Norge and your tip reference the Throttlemeister. I'll keep them in mind if I decide to go with a Norge in the future.

[davevv]

So, I mentioned back in post #39 that I had picked up a new Norge also. Well, I finally got around to taking some pics of it, so here it is.

[Scott of the Sahara]

Looks like mine

[RaY YreKa]

Originally Posted by davevv

So, I mentioned back in post #39 that I had picked up a new Norge also. Well, I finally got around to taking some pics of it, so here it is.

Looks great in black; the only two I've seen on the road were silver.

[Scott of the Sahara]

Yesterday, I went to the place where I bought my Norge to get some oil, Moto International in Seattle. I wanted to have some extra oil in case I am down while on a trip. I do not know if fully synthetic 10w 60 is available in most Shucks stores.
While talking to the guys behind the counter, I asked about the crankshaft on the 1200 engine. I was not sure if it was a single pin crank, so I asked. The guy asked me what bike I had and went and found a new crankshaft and showed it to me. Yep it is a single pin crank. It weighs 15 pounds. He weighed it for me as well. Wow! These guys are great!