mcyclwritr

Go for it. I picked up my new 2004 Cafe Sport on June 23 (this year) and have rolled up a little over 3,000 miles. It's great fun on canyon roads and tolerable for moderate touring. I rode it to a BMW rally in western Colorado last weekend. It drew more attention than any other bike on the rally grounds.* The gold Ohlins are Pied Piper stuff to motorcyclists. I don't remember how many people shuffled over, transfixed by the forks, then looked at the gas tank and said, "Oh, that's a Moto Guzzi?" At the end of a 350+ mile ride with a Hayabusa and a Triumph, it elicited this comment: "That thing really pulls out of the corners." It does. *More attention than anything else, that is, until two rich kids (that's "rich old farts" in BMWdom) showed up on new BMW HP2s still wearing dealer temporary tags. While the HP2s were two of 1000+ BMWs at the rally, the Cafe Sport was one of three Guzzis. I figure the HP2s got attention because people are still trying to figure out how a bike that is good for almost nothing can cost so much. Chris Lawson

Follow your heart; the brain is not to be trusted in matters Italian. I picked up a Cafe Sport from Moto International in Seattle two weeks ago and rode it back to Denver. It's my first Guzzi. A few thoughts. From the heart. Unless you WANT a two-up bike like the Norge, why get a Breva and give up 10 horsepower at the rear wheel? That seems to be the price of a catalytic converterized exhaust system. NOTE: the Euro spec Cafe Sport has a catalytic convertor; the US spec version does not. The updated V11 engine in the Breva is supposedly smoother. Who cares? But the big deal, the REALLY BIG DEAL is the Ohlins suspension. Magic stuff if you're a canyon rider. How much would it cost to buy Ohlins forks, rear shock and steering damper? $3K-4K? More? As much as I'd like to upgrade an existing bike to full Ohlins, I knew I'd never throw that kind of money at a used bike. Look, David, you already blew it big time letting the Coppa Italia get away from you. You now have a chance for salvation with the Cafe Sport. Chris Lawson P.S. The Cafe Sport's seat is not a touring saddle. Nope. Not even close.