Sports Touring? :-)

Now this could be tempting.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Moto-Guzzi-1...yZ102690QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


But I'm still not quite old enough. ;-)

regards,
CrazyCam

 

In aus.motorcycles on Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:05:08 +1100

Ah, that one. Someone's been playing - the front mudguard's off an
Eldo/GT so will be clouting the alternator, the rear mudguard and
light's off something else, bars are off some Cali or other, I
wouldn't pay that much for it.

Oh, you haven't seen the cafe'd ones then?

Tell ya what, if you ever get a weekend free for a ride we can go down
to Bungendore and you can try Roper's. You'll find it can hoon quite
well....

Zebee

 

OK, I know when/if I get serious about buying a Guzzi, I want you to
come with me to look....regardless of how many Coopers Stout it costs me.

Not really my thing....assuming cafe'd equals wee low bars or clip-ons.

I expect I'll likely be more towards the cruiser image.... with a white
leather jacket.

Hooning is more an attitude of mind!

I have been known to hoon on the Z50. (In my misspent middle age!)

regards,
CrazyCam

 

Aprilia are about to release an automatic middleweight sport-tourer,
IIRC it's an 850. I'm sure there's some piccys around it's been in and
out of the mags for a year or so. I forget the name of it.

JL

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2007/10/20/nosplit/mfbike20.xml

Looks not bad.....

Not quite the style of a Guzzi, but interesting.

regards,
CrazyCam

 

or, for the Honda fanatics,

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/05/tokyo-2007-preview-honda-dn-01-motorcycle-features-automatic-tr/

regards,
CrazyCam

 

I know the auction has been ended early, but (a) does that look like any
kind of QLD rego? and don't the vehicles in the background seem to be
on the right (as against left) side of the road? all that and "Posts
worldwide" makes me just a bit wary......

Moike

 

In aus.motorcycles on Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:01:58 +1100

I believe the seller is someone who imports bikes and sells them.
There are a couple of people do that with Guzzis.

At least one bod on the Aigor list knows him.

The pics are probably from the bike's original US home. It's a bitza
anyway, I wouldn't buy it without being able to physically inspect.

Zebee

 

You can just imagine the boardroom discussion where some pinhead realised
that auto-cars outsell manuals so what they needed to boost sales was an
automatic bike!!

 

I dunno that it's that silly Clem, I'd never buy one (and nor would
you by the sound) but I don't think the market is zero. I **DO**
however think they're putting them on the wrong sort of bikes.

I would have thought cruisers and hefty tourers would have been the
ideal market for an auto tranny, not nakeds and certainly not sports
bikes.

If I was the sort of guy who bought an 1800cc 350Kg land yacht the
ease of not having to worry about gears while wafting along would
probably be quite appealing.

JL

 

Honda had a 750 auto a while ago, but I think only in the USA.

Theo

 

Agreed John.
A Gold Wing auto would probably be quite appealing but I shudder at the
thought of pitching a sportsbike into a downhill corner only to have it
change gears unexpectedly!

 

In aus.motorcycles on Fri, 16 Nov 2007 05:59:48 GMT

That's not the problem. The problem is that you can't control the
revs easily.

Normally you approach a corner and set revs with the gears, speed with
the brakes, so you can accellerate through.

To do that on an auto you have to keep the revs up while braking and
get it right so that you have bite on the auto gearbox. (this not
being a car box with gears but a scooter box with constant tranny)

It's weird and not that easy to do.

Zebee

 

Clem, you are a Neanderthal.... not that that's a bad thing.

Worldwide, I am confident that two-wheeled powered vehicle either auto
or semi-auto outsell all the traditional gearboxed bikes.

I'd rather like to try the Aprilia thingy, with its push button
"virtual" gears. I think it could be quite entertaining.

The older style of Guzzi I-convert appeals to me, with a torquey V twin,
as a lazy cruiser, but the more modern variable pulley belt drives, or
the hydraulic drive of the Honda, may well be really neat technology and
could well become the future "standard".

regards,
CrazyCam

 

The push button thingy on the Aprilia should solve that, as would the
similar option on the big Bergman.

It is certainly hard to do the power on business on a scooter that
doesn't have that much power in the first place, but, with a reasonable
amount of power, wouldn't you just do the traditional, brake on
approach, see where corner goes, turn into corner and nail the throttle?

regards,
CrazyCam

 

In aus.motorcycles on Fri, 16 Nov 2007 18:24:50 +1100

Admittedly the Runner was a 2 stroke, so torque was not its strong
point, but it didn't lack power

The problem was that if you rolled off then it took a while to roll
back on because it was in too high a "gear".

If you braked while keeping revs up then you had power on tap when you
needed it.

Zebee

 

The Burgman doesn't actually have a gearbox, so there is no 'lower gear' it
can select halfway round a corner. I didn't find it a problem.

Theo

 

You need to ride a CVT auto to compare. They do a much better job of
being in the right ratio. The DNA has zero engine braking which means
you have to use more rear brake than I otherwise would, but because
the CVT keeps it at the torque peak it's always got what power it has
available when you crack it.

JL
(still not a fan of autos though)

 

Yeah CB750A but that was 80's IIRC. That and the Guzzi Convert of the
late 70's are about it for autos AFAIK (unless you count the Boss
Hog).

The CVT autos suit a bike better than the "traditional" auto

JL

 

A disabled woman in Perth had a 750A for a long time, on an outfit, with a
ride-on wheelchair. She rode it from the wheelchair. The Guzzi Convert isn't
actually an auto, gears are changed manually.

Agreed, the Burgman experience showed me that.

Theo