Greetings from southern New England

Connecticut to be exact. Currently not a GRiSO owner, but would very much like to be. I've been riding a 2009 Kawi Concours14 for the last 4 years - great bike, but I've never really been in love with it and frankly it's a bit overkill for my riding purposes. I've always had a bit of a Guzzi fetish ever since I demoed a V11 LeMans and a V11 Cafe Racer at Americade in Lake George NY 10 years ago. Strangely enough, I demoed the 1100 GRiSO there in '06 but I wasn't as impressed at the time, but it was probably because I had been riding my ZRX1200R for a few years at that point and was spoiled with the power.

Of course since then the 8V version came out and I freakin' LOVE the blacked out look and paint scheme of the last few years. I really want to get back to a naked bike at this point, but the current crop of super nakeds are just a bit too Transformer looking and at this point mega power is not the be-all, end-all criteria for a bike for me anymore. Character, uniqueness and dead sexy looks count for a lot, which of course leads me back to the GRiSO.

So, I'm here to absorb as much info about the bike from you guys as I can. In the meantime, hopefully I can talk my wife into letting me change bikes yet again haha!

Just do it. Buy a GRiSO. Being able to do 200 in your driveway is so ho-hum. The GRiSO is a riders bike. You can ride the ring it out of it in hooligan mode and it's far more enjoyable than twisting the throttle on the latest mega Japanese sport bike and saying "oh dear, the power is tremendous and my brain is now mush, but where's the thrill?"

Oh, and welcome.

Welcome to the forum and dont forget, its a lot easier to ask for forgiveness that it is for permission.

All the best
Pete

skytzo wrote:

hopefully I can talk my wife into letting me change bikes yet again haha!

Honey, I want to replace this spaceship with a bike that is both beautiful and grounded, just like you.....

My EX-wife used to give me all kinds of grief about my bikes. My current companion has no objections whatsoever:

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Subliminal stimuli for a week or two and then go out and get the GRiSO and park it in your drive way one morning. When the wife sees it, she would say ' How did you know ? that's exactly what I wanted you to get for yourself! You know me so well. kisses kisses hugs hugs..... all hunky-dory.

Viva GRiSO!

beetle wrote:

Honey, I want to replace this spaceship with a bike that is both beautiful and grounded, just like you.....

I'll have to give that line a try.  

I'm with the white fluffy dog, I like sharing my shed with bikes.
No fat chicks allowed entry

The GRiSO is the "anti-VFR"
It is more enjoyable to ride than it is to look at.
Every time I park mine I want to get back on and ride some more.
Just get one.

Hopefully I'm not breaching proper forum etiquette by bumping a 3 year old thread, but I'm back lurking again, figured I'd say hi. To update my original post, I did end up getting an Italian v-twin, but it was a 2007 Aprilia Tuono. Traded my Concours14 straight up for it at the dealer who sold me it originally. Don't get me wrong, it's an amazing bike - stupid fast, handles like it's on rails - but that's part of the problem, every time I take the thing out I'm at risk of losing my license, it just goads you into hooligan mode all the time. Plus, there's pretty much zero passenger accommodations, so the wife no longer rides with me. I'm seriously thinking about moving onto something a little less mental, but I just can't see myself going the feet forward, no cornering clearance cruiser route, which brings me back around to the GRiSO. Seems like used prices are coming down, I've seen recent 8V SE models below $10K but realistically, I'll probably be bound to a budget of whatever I can sell the Tuono for, which means I'll probably be shopping the 1100 market...I saw a 2007 with 4K miles on Craigslist the other day for $3995 but it's already gone. Do you guys think I could be happy with an earlier model?

Yes, but your wife won't be. The GRiSO is torture for passengers unless they are a contortionist midget.

Pete

Pete Roper wrote:

Yes, but your wife won't be. The GRiSO is torture for passengers unless they are a contortionist midget.

Pete

Agreed, even my ex-wife (4'10" 100lbs) was not very comfortable. My current pillion will ride with me, because she's sweet that way, but she much prefers the Stelvio. It is a sublime 2-up ride, and still a lot of fun to pilot.

Pete Roper wrote:

Yes, but your wife won't be. The GRiSO is torture for passengers unless they are a contortionist midget.

Pete

Wow, even with some kind of passenger peg extenders (assuming such a thing exists)? I guess looks are deceiving...the pillion doesn't appear to be that awful in pictures. She's 5'9" so probably a deal breaker then.

My wife no longer rides pillion, but everytime i say a like another bike, says i have to keep the GRiSO!!

skytzo wrote:

Pete Roper wrote:

Yes, but your wife won't be. The GRiSO is torture for passengers unless they are a contortionist midget.

Pete

Wow, even with some kind of passenger peg extenders (assuming such a thing exists)? I guess looks are deceiving...the pillion doesn't appear to be that awful in pictures. She's 5'9" so probably a deal breaker then.

It's not only the jockey height pegs, but the small pillion perch and the splaying akimbo that's the deal breaker. Tolerable for a jaunt across town, but not much farther...

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My partner said she didn't mind the seat on the GRiSO......but on Sunday we went for her first ride on the GRiSO with the new seat. She said the difference was chalk and cheese, she loved the new one.

wyno wrote:

My partner said she didn't mind the seat on the GRiSO......but on Sunday we went for her first ride on the GRiSO with the new seat. She said the difference was chalk and cheese, she loved the new one.

Pics Please

Didn't Harry make lower pillion pegs for his missus?