p6x

I have never owned nor driven a "modern" motorbike. My preference always go to older motorcycles, but now with "neo-retro", it is tempting to get a new take on an old theme. I still like the Moto Guzzi V7 Special, but the Royal Enfield for 7K seems to be the best deal! although the Z1 clone appeals to me I would rather get the real thing.

EICMA 2021 is now over and out.... Get your "Ciao" and "Bacci" here!

I would think, if the seller is a member of this forum, he would post the bike in the "Classified" section here. Although this forum is somewhat aimed at those who already own a V11. I found my Le Mans and then looked for an eventual owner's group. If I was to sell it, I would post it here first, and then on Cycle Trader.

I would think that a V11 is always a good "investment". They will carry through times and remain praised for the years to come. Those are "soul" bikes. They have a special spirit and will never be forgotten especially for such a short production span and run. When internal combustion engines production ends, and it is coming sooner than later, the V11 will still stand tall!

Now that we know these two V100 Mandello are "prototypes", and not even pre-series bikes, they have not even worked out a price point, it feels like they are "half" ready. The summer 2022 availability feels like wishful thinking; I hope that I am wrong. Nevertheless, I am expecting the price range to be above the 20K mark for the model with all the bells and whistles.

I have to mention the Speed Triple 1200 RR here... The overall look reminds me of the Le Mans, and I have always been a big fan of three cylinder engines since the Mach III appeared in 1969. Love at first sound! I thought the Triumph triple would sound the same, but the loud whistling of the air intake killed it for me... The 1200 RR seems to be better in that department...

Some other Guzzi bikes, and at 09:50', the V7 Fast Endurance, with a Guareschi kit. To participate to a Moto Guzzi organized set of races... not bad looking, what do you think?

I posted about Bardhal oils in the Synthetic Oils thread. Another protagonist in the V11 Lubricants section. https://www.moto.it/news/bardahl-a-eicma-2021-piloti-ospiti-e-novita.html

I have an HD Apple TV connected to my 4K HDR display, and a proper sound system. The V100 Mandello sounds too good to be true! keep in mind these two are still prototypes. Not even pre-series; Whatever we are listening to may be deceptive.

We have another entry in our long list of V11 admissible oils; It is a brand I knew back from the 70's, and as I am typing this, I don't know if it can be purchased in the USA, I have not checked. Bardhal present at EICMA 2021 This is an Italian based company, and they have a proper Moto Guzzi V11 selector that includes the brand model and the millesime. Here's the engine oil recommended for a V11 Le Mans 2003-2004 edition. Here's the technical data sheet. They use PAO and Esters in a 100% Synthetic structure, and their own recipe of magic additives that make your engine go round and round longer... Not cheap either; about 20 EUR for 1 liter.

I can live without an accurate fuel gauge, I have spent most of my time on bikes without anything but a two position fuel petcock. What matters to me are the brakes...

I think we have to remember that Piaggio is now holding the reins of Moto Guzzi; Scolding the very people who are showing off your bikes? what a hoot! I am really not impressed by Piaggio's handling; besides, we were supposed to get a lot more information at EICMA, and we got nothing new of substance. The two bikes shown are the prototypes they already presented. Availability summer 2022, but no details on options, of course no pricing and no idea when the production bikes going to be available for test riding. Not what I would expect from a company like Piaggio.

A small recap from Moto.it about the important new Motorcycles seen in EICMA; V100 Mandello one of them... Today the exhibition is opened to the public, you can see there are a lot more people...

I was reading the V11 models' prices were creeping up as it becomes a "collector"? less than the vintage models obviously. But you are correct; I checked the prices in EUR, and although expressed in Euro, they are about that mark.

Last night, I watched multiple reviews of the Continental GT, and it is not as good as it looks, but then again, for 7K USD.... The long term review from UK stated the brakes are acceptable; the gear box is full of false neutrals initially, tends to get better with breaking in; suspensions also are only acceptable; major complaint about the inaccuracy of the fuel gauge. This was a 2021 model. I think our V11 are still in the clear, from a long way off....

And if you watched the video made by the French journalists, they get scolded for having dared to hop on the Red?

A V11 is as solid as they come. 3,300 USD is really not much even for 44K miles. The guy seems to be legit, based on the narrative. Seems like some of the accessories have been replaced; e.g. the Marzocchi forks by USD forks?

Well, for those of us living in the USA, and those who don't, watch Planes, Trains and Automobiles to get a feel for it.

Well, a lot of the videos are about the usual suspects. You can infer that in the above video, not many people seemingly interested at the Royal Enfield motorbikes. Here's Triumph, with some of the neo-retro bikes... I always was more Norton than Triumph.... although I liked the Street EC1!

The one advantage of these Ohlins, is they automatically set according to the ride mode selected, and factors the presence, or not of the Chief Domestic Operation & CFO as the pillion. This is kind of neat. From what existing users say, the Ohlins system works flawlessly. Also, having a quick shifter is nice, and from what I understood, hoping I am wrong, this is reserved to the "Green" one.

Just for a little change of scenery, here's Royal Enfield..... I kind of liked the Red one, I think it is called the Continental GT? at 4:40 in the video.

Finally, some information on availability; Summer 2022. Prices are still being worked on. Activate the subtitles and choose "Auto-Translate" English. It is actually quite good. The Piaggio manager explains that Moto Guzzi wanted to combine the current market's orientation favoring Adventure bikes, and at the same time trying to preserve the strong Moto Guzzi identity. All models will have adaptative aerodynamics according to the ride mode selected, with up to 22% better protection with the lateral appendixes fully deployed.

Personally, I am sold on the red one. Aesthetically it is very pleasing (to me). The French guy that got kicked off the bike said that the fairing is too low (but was it in the lowest most position?) to protect effectively, and he thinks the handlebars are a tad too low. He is tall and he said the position appeared to be good.

Another review, with more details (unfortunately in French, but google automated subtitles should help... This one is funny, because the two journalists get kicked off the V100, and got told to put on their masks... They end the presentation by getting mad at Moto Guzzi..... lol....

Clan was, is, the brand name chosen for a popular pipe tobacco in Europe. I found an old commercial which would not be politically correct today.... "Pipe" pronounced "peep" in French has another meaning...