G'day all...

..newbie here, checking in to say hello. I don't yet have my GRiSO - got some life/work/2020 stuff to sort; but I'll get there soon enough. I just thought that I should pop my head up and say hello while I "lurk around", learning and wising up...
I am now living in Bavaria, south of Munich - hail from Melbourne Australia.
..and although it will upset one or two peeps on this forum, my name is Pete...yes, another Australian called Pete. Sorry.

Welcome. Lurk on. From Melbourne? Somebody has to be, I suppose, but from the news snippets lately, you're better of out of there. Trust you're keeping busy, keep an eye out for a good GRiSO - they tell me [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is worth keeping an eye on.

Welcome to the Ghetto, Pete! You certainly found the right place if you are planning to own and ride a GRiSO. Lots of people here who are extremely knowledgeable (unfortunately that doesn't include me) regarding the GRiSO. Looking forward to seeing pictures of your bike soon!!

Thanks for the welcome!
And yeah, I have my eye on a couple of bikes but have to wait for some govt bureaucracy to follow its course....and then I have to figure out the logistics of getting around Europe safely while the virus is still active...but no biggie, it's all manageable.
...but for now, I see that I have to learn about "rollerisation" or something....

Not much to learn. All flat tappet top ends will fail, usually sooner rather than later. Any 8V made before the middle of 2012 will be a flat tappet engine as will ALL 1200 Sports.

If you buy a flat tappet model get one with as low a mileage as possible and knock $2K off the price to cover rollerisation.

Anything 2013 on is a factory roller engine.

Pete Roper wrote:

Not much to learn. All flat tappet top ends will fail, usually sooner rather than later. Any 8V made before the middle of 2012 will be a flat tappet engine as will [u]ALL[u] 1200 Sports.

If you buy a flat tappet model get one with as low a mileage as possible and knock $2K off the price to cover rollerisation.

Anything 2013 on is a factory roller engine.

Alrighty - understood so far. Thanks for the info, Pete! Is the fix a matter of buying a kit and installing in the heads or is there a bunch of special tools and Moto Guzzi paraphernalia needed? Although not a mechanic by training, I have delved deep into lots of bikes over the years, Jap and Euro, so I would prefer to do it myself if possible.

...and is there a search function on this forum? I can't seem to find it. I don't want to bust people's chops with questions that can be answered by my own search..

AlpAussie wrote:

...and is there a search function on this forum? I can't seem to find it. I don't want to bust people's chops with questions that can be answered by my own search..

Look at the top of your page:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

serves me right for being up at 4am!!

Back in the day I did a write up on Wildguzzi which on re-reading could do with some editing and updating which I might do on the Ghetto soon.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

As it is I'm shortly going to embark on writing a sort of 'Comprehensive Guide to CARC Series Bikes' and will be hopefully covering a lot of stuff like detail changes over the years and which models may suffer from which problems.

Having said that the entire CARC series have been pretty damn reliable. The obvious exception being the flat tappet fiasco! The vast majority of the problems that people carp and moan about are the result of poor assembly at the factory, (Things like the lack of grease in things like swingarm and shock linkage bearings.) rather than design issues or they are down to the bike having been 'Serviced' by a shaved ape or Harry Hometune deciding to fiddle about with stuff he doesn't understand.

Dickheads chasing absurd, mythical, power increases by magical means also dealt a blow to their reputation that is thoroughly undeserved. My own, and most of my customer's bikes, have always been turn-key propositions and stone axe reliable.

brilliant - absolutely brilliant! Thank you for the link. The issue reminds me of the cheesy cams in the old VF750F...but this looks whole lot easier to fix. I will try to find an example already rollerised anyway...

And I hear what you say about some of the usual problems. A mate of mine used to work at a rather large bike shop in Melbourne (PS) and the state of readiness for sale of different brands was interesting, to say the least. Having said that, the pre-delivery stage could also be stuffed up by child-like apprentices who didn't care about anything much.
I won't be chasing massive horsepower gains - I owned a KTM 1290 SuperDuke last year, so would have kept that if I wanted all-out stomp...

nah, the GRiSO will be bike number 31 and will very likely receive some tuning (beetle map sounds interesting) and suspension/chassis set up.....the proof will be in the riding and then some more riding...
I have kicked myself sometimes for not buying a Mark III Le Mans many years ago...settled on a Pantah instead....but nothing lost....Triumph speed triples, BMWs, KTMs, Aprilias, and all the Jap brands later....and here I am at a Moto Guzzi once more. This time I will stay the course. ...and I will drop down the road to Mandello del Lario and take that damn picture too !

Pete, just remember that Pete WILL set you right, despite all the snake oil salesmen out there. Listen to him and say "Amen". He does know what he says - AND he does it beforehand to prove it.

Another Pete! Welcome to the Ghetto!

Pete (Street)