Where are the pistons, cams....

Where are the big bore pistons, high lift cams, head porting, adjustable cam sprockets?  What has happened to the bike mod market?  

Mods used to mean high compression over bore pistons, high lift bumpy cams, head porting, active discussions about valve and ignition timing....now all I see are ridiculously expensive mufflers which MAY give you 1 or 2 hp.   Or carbon fiber key fobs and wheels stripes.....what the hell?   These aren't mods...these are decorations.

Just my experience.... but I long ago quit spending my money on wanna go-fast bits. I discovered that it's far easier, cheaper, and more reliable, to just buy a faster bike than to make a slow bike fast. Besides, I'm not a good enough rider to utilize my bikes to the fullest, and mature enough to admit it.

That said, I do have an Agostini muffler, but purely because it looks better, to my eyes. And I'm willing to pay someone to help me set up my suspension correctly.

You asked.......

Lots of engine mods discussed here, there are at least three members who are running 1400 motors. Essentially though most of us aren't into outright HP. You can probably get 108 or so if you push the envelope a bit but doing so will gut the bottom end and midrange. Since it's the wide spread of torque that makes the Guzzi engine so nice few are willing to sacrifice that for bragging rights at the pub or a piece of paper with some silly numbers on it.

Pete

It all comes down to the 'power to weight' ratio.
I dropped 50kg from my weasel 76rwhp Bellagio, worked entirely on suspension/chassis/brakes and left the engine stock, except for the zorst.

I'm happy!

When the 1200 Sport came out (2006/2007) there were a number add-on kits available (this was the 2 valve/cylinder model). I think it was more marketing hype than anything. Although the Stage 1 Kit came out (2 into 2 exhaust, which sounds pretty damn nice, ECU, which was woeful on a good day, and velocity stacks in place of the airbox) the overall performance gain was questionable.

As standard, the airbox has built in velocity stacks AND an air filter, so nothing good there.
The exhaust was well worth it but negated the use of a L/H side luggage kit.
The ecu was a waste of space.

All of the was supposed to be followed by the Stage 2 and Stage 3 kits, which allegedly started down the road of head work and higher compression pistons. None were ever seen.

Probably the best thing you can do is carve off some weight, setup decent suspension/geometry, and put in a Beetle Map (which works far better than anything else, IMHO).

Unless you are racing, and it would be a wasted effort unless it was a one make/model series, ride-ability is king these days. Many of us ride some pretty long distances, punctuated by some spirited point to point work on a twisted landscape, and are generally happy with the steed below.

Sure we all could hot things up more, but I'm happy. My days of getting the nth degree more performance are long gone, as I don't race any more, and never did seriously - it was all about fun, fun, fun, and trying new things, just for my learning experience.

And besides, hotting a Moto Guzzi would require such a huge effort, for little real gain, it would be better buy a fast bike. All manufacturers now all understand how to get the best from a modern bike and you can pay the $$$ and ride away, no more to pay. Pointless going any further unless you race.

But hey, I am always interested in what others do, have done, and are still doing - it's just different to maximum horses, and dyno brag sheets.

Troll......

ghezzi wrote:

It all comes down to the 'power to weight' ratio. (snip)

I'm happy!

At a tad over 300# (136k), there's really no point in spending money on go fast bits. Sharpening my riding skills is another matter.