Firdt ride impressions

I just purchased a nice used GRiSO. A little background. I haven't Ridden a bike over 400 lbs for over 4 yrs. So I expected an adjustment period to get used to the weight. The one thing thst caught me by surprise is the terrible turn in on the bike. It has Michlin Pilot road 4 tires and I don't think they are for me. My stornello Has Conti road attac 3 and they were a huge improvement. TIA over the oems. I talked to a guy that had a GRiSO that he had changed his michlins for Dunlop Q3+ and said the bike was so much more nimble. I don't want to start a year long tire thread but I would like a couple of opinions from guys that ride rather aggressively on twisties TIA

Are you sure the pressures are correct. If the front is low it will flop into corners like a shot hippo.

Yes, they are maybe 1 psi over

Try different tyres and drop the forks to five rings showing. See if that hurries it up. 36 front 38 rear is what I run.

Oh, and if the steering head bearings are dry it'll never feel good.

Hmmm. Rider weight should be considered when airing tires. I find 40-41 psi works best in the front on mine. Let it drop to 38 and it is very noticeable, and requires more effort to initiate a turn. But then, at 6'2", I'm short for my weight........

Also check your rear shock spring preload. Stock the rear spring is a bit soft. With the proper spring and proper preload it turns in as good as zippy bikes (like a KTM superduke). But never going to be a Ninja 400.

Well, after riding it around for a couple of days the back does seem soft and a little bouncy. I got an extra spring with it. The box is race tech but there is 2 different numbers on it. In bold type it is SRSP 5818116 and in smaller print below that it is RT SK SPR 58 2x178 11 6kg 114N. The guy I got the bike from is about my same weight so I guess I'll put that spring install on my to-do List. But the bouncing seems to me like a weak shock. Obviously lots of details to look after to get everything to suit me.
Cheers

I have Q3+'s on mine, they suit the bike very well.
I'm not a fan of Michelin tires in general, the sudden breakaway with little feedback standard with Michelins is inferior to other brands behavior. Their car tires are the same (I race sports cars)
If tires feel like crap I don't care how long they might last, I throw them away.
I changed the miserable PR4's on my RTWC for Dunlop Roadsmart 3's, they're great.

BTW I also have Q3+ on my Tuono, 1290 Superduke, and Ducati Supersport.

LUCKY DAVE wrote:

I changed the miserable PR4's on my RTWC for Dunlop Roadsmart 3's, they're great.

My GRiSO came with Metzeler Sportec M3 as standard when new. After enduring 10,000 painful kMs I swapped them out for Michelin PR4 GTs. The improvement was substantial.

If Dunlop Roadsmart 3's are that much better, I'll consider them for my next set. However, I'm skeptical about tyre threads, even though I'm contributing to one.

kiwi dave wrote:

LUCKY DAVE wrote:

I changed the miserable PR4's on my RTWC for Dunlop Roadsmart 3's, they're great.

My GRiSO came with Metzeler Sportec M3 as standard when new.  After enduring 10,000 painful kMs I swapped them out for Michelin PR4 GTs.  The improvement was substantial.

If Dunlop Roadsmart 3's are that much better, I'll consider them for my next set.  However, I'm skeptical about tyre threads, even though I'm contributing to one.

I agree on both of those points.  

Seriously, while I read the moto-rag objective tests and subjective personal reviews on tires, the only thing that really matters is our own personal experiences.  Moreover, the technical progress in motorcycle tires has been seemingly exponential, so writing off or slavishly sticking to one brand is, IMO, unwise.

All of that said, I have been mightily impressed with the dry and wet performance of the MPR4GT's on my GRiSO and Norge.  They have saved me from my incompetence on several occasions.      

The OP's experience was interesting and I trust that he suspension tweaks and other suggestions are the answer rather than new rubber.

1921!

Bill

So now you are Bill Bill, Bill?

As others have said, tire condition, tire pressure and suspension setup have serious impact on a GRiSO's handling. That said, also owning a Stornello, you can't make a comparison or have the same expectations, particularly for low speed turn in and response. You will appreciate the long wheelbase and stability the GRiSO provides a hotter speeds and more demanding roads. Take the time to get your suspension dialed in, make sure your tires are fresh and at the best pressures and enjoy! There are several threads on suspension setup.

Oz1200Guzzi wrote:

So now you are Bill Bill, Bill?

Lordy.

I am struggling to explain that brain cramp.

Only One Bill -- for which Kathi -- is grateful.

I couldn't live with another me either! One of us would die, and badly.

Pete Roper wrote:

Try different tyres and drop the forks to five rings showing. See if that hurries it up. 36 front 38 rear is what I run.

Oh, and if the steering head bearings are dry it'll never feel good.

OK  I'm confused when you say drop the forks to 5 rings. I'm assuming you loosen the fork clamps and move the forks up in the clamps. The forks already have 1/2 inch from the top fork clamp to the bottom of the red cap on the fork and I only see one ring so far. There are 3 rings showing on the adjuster that goes down through the red cap but I'm assuming that's just spring preload. Is there a bunch of rings hidden behind the top clamp that I can't see? Because lowering the clamps another half inch seems fairly low and doesn't look like it's going to uncover 4 more rings

check page 125 of the pdf: Standard adjustment 4 projection notches, Racing adjustment 5 projection notches

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although, I think having 1/2 inch from the bottom of the cap, should have uncovered 3 notches + something.

I rode my GRiSO today ... it went through twists like a twisty thing

Stock I was "whoa nelly" going into turns, just figured the big beast needed all sorts on inputs and I had to live with it.

But no ... with proper springs, and preload, and maybe my revalving helped a bit, it drops into corners and twist and turns same as a KTM 990 SuperDuke.

Oh, the number Roper mentioned was fork spring preload rings. He is suggesting you lessen the preload on the front fork springs.

Here are my notes/post on rear spring preload:

For wording, I like "bike sag" and "rider sag" as it makes sense to me ... some call this "static sag" and "race sag", but I ain't racing.

I had read many versions of the "right" thing to do, here are 4 I found:

Source 1 - Bike sag = 11mm; Rider sag = 27-33mm
Source 2 - Bike sag = 10mm; Rider sag = 30-35mm
Source 3 - Bike sag = 3-5mm; Rider sag = 33-35mm
Source 4 - Bike sag = 10mm; Rider sag = 30 mm

So I ended up with Bike sag = 10 mm, and Rider sag = 29mm

Pete Roper wrote:

Try different tyres and drop the forks to five rings showing. See if that hurries it up. 36 front 38 rear is what I run.

Oh, and if the steering head bearings are dry it'll never feel good.

I set my forks with 5 rings out the top of the top clamp and checked my tire pressures and went for a 200 mile test ride. I have new Q3+ tires but have not installed them yet. I'm trying to change one thing at a time. The handling, though better with the forks like they are is still very disconcerting. I'm wondering about your comment on the steering head bearings. Do you think this is a somewhat common problem w/20000 miles? I used to have a X9 Piaggio 500 that would get notchey brgs every 10k miles and it became very unstable handling