Grant

I have close to the same bike. Mine has 4 inch risers on the handlebars and I picked up a Puig windshield which gives great protection. The bike handles speed very easily and the suspension handles dips etc. very well. Parts were scratched up so I did a spray can paint job on everything but the tank. Mine shows the month of manufacture in the top left of the label on the neck of the frame. 2002 registered as 2003. Long frame with the gap at the front of the tank but it still gets the soft pad on the top of the gas tank. Speedo is in MPH so it was a U.S. bike originally I expect.

That's a lot of miles docc. Very best wishes back from Canada.

A "Well Known Fact".

Everyone SHOULD know about WKF's !!! After 46 years married I know them well. She's always right too ;-). It seems like every ride on a Guzzi results in some bit vibrating off completely or loosening at least. This is not the ultimate feature for a bike to have ! I need to start using more LocTite (Keep Your Nuts On - KYNO). Grant

That looks like it was a great trip ! The squiggly blue lines on the maps look fun. Thanks for sharing.

Best I've ever carried was a full size rocking chair (many years ago) on the back of a Honda 550/4. Cheated a little bit though with the girlfriend holding on to the chair riding pillion :-). That relationship didn't last long for some reason .

Thanks for your post Rob. Our bikes are closely related for sure. I changed the mirrors hoping the rectangular, longer mirrors would let me see around me. They still aren't wide enough. The bars were set up with 4 inch risers when I bought the bike and give a sit up position when riding. Very comfortable. No regrets on the Puig windshield either. It covers wind buffeting well. I like the look of the tail tidy too. I expect the 2003 model isn't that different to ride than what we have in spite of the list of changes. Keep the rubber side down. Grant.

I've got a U.S. model that reads in MPH, not kilometers. Here's a pic of the plate on the head. It looks like mine was made in June 2002 although registered as a 2003 bike. I used the link to look up the serial number and it identified the bike as a Rosso Mandello which is consistent with the grey paint on the side panels and cowl when I got the bike. Those twin 320mm brakes on the front sure slow the bike down in a hurry :-). I got some Mothers grease and bug remover which combined with Autosol liquid metal cleaner made the exhaust headers much easier to look at. Grant.

I just finished going through having my bike quit on me 3 times during a 15 mile ride. Symptoms were the high beam indicator was stuck on and the headlight died. Opening the headlight shell showed the connector for the headlight melted a bit. A new headlight bulb and universal connector and things were fixed (less than $30 fix). The internals on the universal connector were different than stock Guzzi and my low beam switch setup is now a high beam but it works. I have a pretty blue light turned on for regular riding.

In places the world IS flat. Just another black frame rider :-).

We used to get warned by the shop we got tires from they had a coating on them. It's more than just the sprues. For the first couple hundred miles we "scrubbed tires in". Take it easy for the first couple hundred, then the bike gets back to normal. My favorite loop always has gravel on it. People just wander off the road onto the gravel which throws it on the pavement which is like riding on marbles which make what kind of tires you're riding on largely irrelevant. I still want good tires on my bike.

Not many PC800 riders around. It is a very different bikenality (not personality) than the V11. That's for sure.

I had to look that one up ;-). There was this one time at Americade I went into the demo lot for Harley. With a muffler on it it was a quiet bike. As I was rolling through I could hear on the the people I passed say "It's one of them f***ing electric ones."

Bikes I've owned so far: '66 Suzuki 250 Hustler 2 stroke '71 Ducati 450 Desmo single - Dunstall exhaust '74 Honda 550 4 cylinder with Kerker exhaust, TT100's '77 Yamaha 750 triple '84 Kawi 1100 '89 Honda Pacific Coast '98 Triumph Trophy 900 2005 Yami FZ1 2009 Yami FZ6 2003 Guzzi V11 Sport. There is a very big difference between bikes for sure. Favorite would be the Honda Pacific Coast. 47 h.p., 630 lbs. It never needed any work and had things like self cancelling turn signals, hydraulically adjusted valves, and a big trunk to carry things. If the Guzzi is even close to as enjoyable I'll like it a lot. Grant

Back in the day I had a '71 Duke 450 Desmo single (297 lbs. dry weight - glitter silver). My buddy had a '72 Duke Sport. On the 750 the suspension was overly hard for the bumps to the point that a fiberglass fender split in half after hitting a pot hole. The Conti exhausts could have a rake handle shoved down them and hit nothing. The 900ss's(Desmo) that were glitter silver around that era were pieces of art to look at (from a distance). The sound was deep BOOMPH, BOOMPH,BOOMPH. Where I worked in the '80's there was a 900 I listened to most mornings. I have to say it was impressive. The main guy to get Duke parts from was in Grimsby, Ontario but he also had MV Augusta which was his personal favorite. Keith Hart used to talk about doing the ton by the end of the short street he lived on with his MV. I don't ignore Dukes. I don't want to own and support one though. Grant.

The exhaust sounds good. The dry clutch sound not so much. The transmission is a beauty so far. How solid the bike is on the road is impressive too. Even without the Ohlins. The Ohlins equipped bikes must be a fun ride. We had a bunch of snow and freezing rain where I live over the last week. I'm really looking forward to spring !!!

I bought the bike that started this thread. It was REALLY heavy to move around when I got it but adding a little air to the 6 psi tires fixed that up. Oil change got done right away. A new battery was installed with purchase. There are oil drips (not up to leaks yet) from the bottom pan and the front pan (I'm not sure what's behind it yet) gaskets. I started with cleaning the old oil off just to see what was there. I added a Puig universal wind screen for good wind protection. I'm part way through painting covers red to match the tank. New paint is red with silver sparkle underneath. By the time it's done I expect it will look great (to me any ways). There is no stuttering or anything suggesting air getting into the fuel delivery system. Noises are typical for a tractor ;-). The speedo works well. I haven't owned a bike with a Veglia since the '71 Ducati Desmo 450 single I had. The glitter silver was tempting for the Guzzi paint. I thought glitter purple would be too much. In the end I stayed with the deep red. I rode a Yami 600 last year which redlines at 14k. It was always spinning at high revs. The Goose doesn't need to rev at all but likes 5 grand better than 4. 90 miles an hour isn't work for this bike. Suspension is stiff but the bike settles down right away after bumps and feels glued to the road. Tires are from '21 but only have a couple hundred miles on them. They aren't sliding at the speeds I ride at. Plans this year include finishing paint more, checking valves, and changing most oils. A gasket or 2 might get replaced as well. Within 10 minutes I get to some of the nicest riding roads in my area. There is a 60 mile loop that has almost no straight road in it. Bush all around. Gravel on the road at times because of people that go off the pavement so isn't for knee draggers but always entertaining. A ride earlier in the year had deer making me slow down in 2 places. Keep the rubber side down. Grant.