Advice please 1000 or 1200

Hello ... I am in Nova Scotia , Canada ... bikers paradise , pretty much all twisty rural roads with the exception of a few hundred kms of twinned highway .... at the moment I am riding a '07 Ducati ST3s daily and a '72 Norton Commando on nice Sundays .... I'm looking at 2 low mileage Grisos first is close by it's a '07 1100 the other is '13 1200 and will require a bit of a road trip to pick up .... I have lived into my sixth decade and have the aches and pains to prove it .... so , I am looking for a bike a bit more laid back then the Duc. while still not being an all out cruiser , I have read on one site that the 1200s are a little more comfortable but I worry 'bout the rocker arm scare ? ... not quite sure what to think .... I will appreciate any input , thanks for your time
Craig

Craig,

I put 50,000 happy miles on my '07 1100 and just recently bought a 2013 1200SE. Both are absolutely wonderful bikes, but I was surprised at how much better the 8V is. More power, smoother throttle response, quicker acceleration, better suspension etc. etc. Like night and day really, in my opinion. Coming from the Ducati and the Norton, I think you may find the 1200 more to your liking. I also feel the GRiSO makes a very worthy touring roadster, as I said, I logged 50K on the 1100.

Finally, others here who are more expert than I am will be along shortly to weigh in, but I'm pretty sure the flat tappet issue was resolved in the 2012 model year and that a 2013 should have rollers.

Whichever one you choose, you'll probably fall in love with it.

Yup, changeover to roller top end was mid 2012 but if you really want to be certain pop off a rocker cover for a look and put your mind at ease. Roller top end is unbreakable. Unfortunately this can't be said of the flat tappet bikes all of which will fail.

Pete

Welcome Craig and all the best with your decision...if it were me (I do have a 1200 8V), I'd seriously consider the 2013 Guzzi.

Thanks gentleman , just got to move the ST3 on now .... anyone want to comment on the GRiSO vibes , rev range when they start to distract .... not the musical instument .... thanks again
Craig

i think it would depend on the difference in price , if $5000.00 plus separates them then the 1100 is the better bike... Nothing wrong with the 1100 engine its proven reliable and the bike is just as good to look at , maybe better if its a black one

bCraig wrote:

Thanks gentleman , just got to move the ST3 on now .... anyone want to comment on the GRiSO vibes , rev range when they start to distract .... not the musical instument .... thanks again
Craig

While a GRiSO is never going to be anodyne smooth like sat a 1200 Cappo or a Mana a lot of how smooth and well behaved it will be is down to tuning and how it is mapped. The 1200 particularly is very sensitive to throttle body balance. Out of balance TB's or both air bleeds open and you'll see and feel all sorts of queer stuff going on. Ensuring they are set up right, the TPS is recalibrated after balancing and the trims are re-set, (If you're using a stock closed loop map.) is half the battle. Flicking a decent open loop map in will complete the transformation.

Pete

I own both bikes... a 07 and 2013 that I rotate weekly but I favor the 1200.
Street pretty much summed up what I wanted to say.
The 8V engine in its roller version is just better on all levels, simple as that. Even the engine aesthetics looks better.
On the 1100, the valve cover gaskets issue needs to be addressed as they don't age well so the answer to that is the Valpolini ones instead of OEM version.
The transmission is also smoother on the 8V and it's noticeable when you want to goose it and give it the berries. lol
GRiSO can be ridden hard and the 1200 respond better to that as well
Now, being that the 8V is better doesn't take anything away from the 1100 and in the twisties, the extra power doesn't mean squat so it kinda equals out in that way.

If it was me, I'd get the 1200 because of the above mentioned and I also like the single spark plug for ease of maintenance.

As for the vibes, I'm always all smiles when riding the GRiSO. The engine sound and behavior is simply intoxicating even when riding cool.
The looks of the bike is spot on and in a class of its own. Simply a ingenious style that very other bike has, before or since IMO.

Lastly, Pete is right as most always...if you get the 8V one, make sure to tuned it properly as that engine is very sensitive to small adjustments and that's the only flaw that I can see on that mill if you call that a flaw...

As an owner of an '07 1100 I can say it's a fine ride. my only gripe is that the seat foam is a bit unforgiving on long rides. The bike handles well and has plenty of oomph for my taste. In any case make sure to get the suspension setup for your [ahem] mass. I did and it completely changed my opinion of the bike.

Wet Coaster wrote:

As an owner of an '07 1100 I can say it's a fine ride. my only gripe is that the seat foam is a bit unforgiving on long rides. The bike handles well and has plenty of oomph for my taste. In any case make sure to get the suspension setup for your [ahem] mass. I did and it completely changed my opinion of the bike.

plus 1 ... and the difference in purchase price could buy you a nice Corbin seat and a Matris shock .....

Agreed^^^^^^^^^^.
Bigger/taller guys have to totally set up the bike for their ergos...the stock set up sucks for them and even so, it might not be enough.
As a small bastard at 5'7" and 165lbs, I don't have to worry about completely redoing the suspension but a thorough adjustment is in order.
A GRiSO well sorted is the dog's bollocks...

Well there ya go bCraig its all been pointed out. But I'll chuck in my two bobs worth. I have both too. The 06 1100 L will have had for 10 years next month. Its done 167K Km. It has a modified Beetle map ,Agostini exhaust and a Corbin seat. Both bikes are absolute hoots to ride. The 1100 being in a milder state of tune to that of the 1200 gives a more "thumpier" ride. Im riding the 1100 to work and keepin the 1200 for "sanity adjustments" The 1100 will handle the 20 km trip each way better than the 12. The 1200 likes to rev...If circumstance conspired against me and had to sell one I'd be buggered for an answer. You will be smitten by either.

Thanks to all ... here is more info .... 1100 is $7500CAD , the 1200 being $10000CAD ... it will cost about a $1000CAD to get the 1200 .... I'm a very stiff 5'10" / 185lbs with many sore joints and short legs this morning ( garden labour , 1 hr on Duc ) ... I thought the seats were good .... is Corbin only option .... not familiar with some of the brand names being bandied about ... have Corbin on Commando while I like the seat it does splay my legs further apart than stock ...
Craig

The Corbin will add about 20mm height, plus width, so you may have trouble flat-footing a GRiSO with one.

As a 1200 owner, I am biased, but whether you'll get $3500 more enjoyment out of one is one thing I can't answer.




.

Oh yeah ... I forgot to ask 'bout the spoked wheels compared to the cast ... any troubles other than keeping shiny ... I have one bike now with spokes keeping them spotless is not my favorite pastime ... at heart I am a penny pincher as I no longer work .... if the stock seat is good I'll stick with that , while I like the Corbin looks on the Norton it's no more comfortable than stock ... I am leaning towards the 1100 based on cost , wheels and ease of pickup .... plus my need for speed has begun to ease with the years and I value reliability more now above high speed performance .... still like to keep a brisk pace though ...
Craig

Im a lazy bastard but I wouldnt mind doin the swap to test it out. I havent weighed the wheels but youd have to think the cast ones are lighter

For what it's worth, cleaning the wheel spokes isn't a nightmare and since the bike doesn't have a chain out back, you don't have to deal with the mess that comes with it.
I use brake dust cleaner and it works a charm. Spray on, rinse off. Easy.

As for the seat it's very, very subjective...I have yet to endure pain with the stock one.
The only time I get a monkey's butt is when I do slab riding for more than an hour but then again I avoid this as monotony messes with my upper neck a lot worse and it's been like that since in my younger days anyway.

When I ride in the Mountains, it's an all day affair with any discomfort of any kind because you're busy on the bike.
I hit the road at 7.30/8.00 am and only stop for lunch so by then, I've been on the bike for 4 hours with only one stop at the gas station but I'm fresh as I was at 8am .Lol
Lunch is about an hour break depending if I'm alone or not, then back on the road (with another refill) till 5pm or until dark.
When I'm on the GRiSO, nothing else fucking matters really.

Good luck with the purchase...the 1100 will bring joy to your riding experience.

Joy in my riding experience is what I'm after .... thanks to all for your comments .... will post up some thing when I have it ... wish me luck
Craig

Pascal .... with that kind of seat time , you could leave my house do the Cabot Trail and be back home for supper and your own bed ... Ingonish Beach ( halfway 'round Cabot Trail ) is 3.5 hrs on Ducati from my house .... I can do that bit on a tank of high test , just ...
Craig

Hello all , again .... my question for today is .... Can I tell if a bike ( 2013 1200 GRiSO ) has the flat tappet issue with just the bike's VIN number ... I have asked seller if he could tell me or if his Mechanic could .... the seller had no idea what I was talking about and forwarded my question to his Mechanic .... the Mechanic responded that the bike's VIN number did not fall in the scope of the Guzzi recall .... that really doesn't answer my question or does it .... only 12500kms on bike and this Mechanic has done any of the work , ( service I guess ) .... I have no interest buying a bike that may have this issue and am looking for suggestions on how to proceed .... the bike is located about 1200kms away so can't really just drop in , I don't fly so , to go look is a big deal and may be a waste of my time ....thanks to all for your time and any advice
Craig

If it really is a 2013 model, it will have roller tappets, and therefore unaffected. You should confirm the actual build date.

Thank you .... In the email forwarded to me, I think I may have seen a date on the VIN plate .... I'll take a look ..... what a great forum .... seems like I just asked the question .... thanks again
Craig

Nope , what I thought was the plate on bike is just a bad copy of his Provincial registration form .... is the VIN plate on the steering stem somewhere ? thanks
Craig

Ask him to get his mechanic to whip a rocker cover off and take a picture of the end of the rockers away from the valves just above the cam. If it's a '13 it should be a roller bike but I'm afraid long, hard experience has taught me not to trust anything but my own eyes.

Pete

Yep, what Pete said. A pic will confirm. I'm concerned it may be a '12 bike first registered in '13.