GuzziMoto Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 As you can see, the definition of sport touring is as varied as the bikes people would choose. I have toured on 3 bikes, An FZR 400, a Buell X1 Lightning, and a Griso. The Griso is an excellent sport touring bike to me. My wife feels the same way about her V11. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolly135 Posted October 9, 2008 Author Share Posted October 9, 2008 Ok I froze my hands and feet in a rainstorm at 45 degrees F on the way home BUT I STILL LOVE IT! Thanks to all, and as I expected...its all over the board! LOL, its the great thing about not being 20...gettting to ride what you want cause you want to not what you are expected to ride! Still searching and spending countless hours on ebay and such...price...model....etc. In the barn: 1997 motot guzzi 1100 sport, 2003 harley fatboy, 1999 buell x1 (modified with a european 3/4 fairing and a few other tricks), 2005 big dog chopper. the itch not scratched....sport touring but would like to keep the price reasonable, the mx low and the fun factor high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolly135 Posted October 9, 2008 Author Share Posted October 9, 2008 Thanks to all, and as I expected...its all over the board! LOL, its the great thing about not being 20...gettting to ride what you want cause you want to not what you are expected to ride! Still searching and spending countless hours on ebay and such...price...model....etc. In the barn: 1997 motot guzzi 1100 sport, 2003 harley fatboy, 1999 buell x1 (modified with a european 3/4 fairing and a few other tricks), 2005 big dog chopper. the itch not scratched....sport touring but would like to keep the price reasonable, the mx low and the fun factor high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolly135 Posted October 9, 2008 Author Share Posted October 9, 2008 not really the correct forum, but here is the buell...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangeokie Posted October 12, 2008 Share Posted October 12, 2008 . . . The Le Mans is a heavily flawed machine that in the wrong place at the wrong time is a monumental pain in the 'arris. . . . With all due respect to the opinion holder, the quoted opinion could not be more subjectively incorrect. Keep reading and researching this forum for the next few weeks and you will come to the same conclusion as did I . . . the V11 LeMans is a jewel and will be a collector bike for years to come. If you can find one that has been well cared for, you will have found a treasure and a pleasure to ride and admire. You will get so many compliments wherever you go. This is a unique, different, and very capable multi-use bike. It is definitely a keeper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waspp Posted October 12, 2008 Share Posted October 12, 2008 not really the correct forum, but here is the buell...... If you fancy the big twin what about the Buell Thunderbolt ST (i thnk?) the one that came with color matched hard bags and the half faring. I always thought that particular bike would be a fun addition to the garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxy Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 With all due respect to the opinion holder, the quoted opinion could not be more subjectively incorrect. It doesn't make it a bad bike, and there are few bikes out there that do it for me in the same way, but to deny the V11s are without a number of flaws is to close your eyes to the patently obvious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guzzirider Posted October 13, 2008 Share Posted October 13, 2008 My Rosso Corsa is a good sports tourer apart from the fact that it always bloody breaks down or goes wrong on tour: Sligo, Ireland- relay Rotterdam, Netherlands- relay Dinas Mawddy, Wales- gearbox return spring Angelsey, Wales- split header pipe Dumbarton, Scotland- broken gearshift bracket Normandy, France- starter solenoid Stelvio Pass, Italy- gearshift Yes, all fixable / avoidable but I've got sick of it and have retired her from long distance trips. Great to ride when she is behaving herself though. For me, the ultimate Guzzi sports tourer is now my Stelvio- comfy, fast (for a Guzzi!), great handling and so far, reliable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangeokie Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 . . . but to deny the V11s are without a number of flaws is to close your eyes to the patently obvious. The OP said . . . "The Le Mans is a heavily flawed machine . . ." you say "a number of flaws" . . . help me brother Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeve Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 If you fancy the big twin what about the Buell Thunderbolt ST (i thnk?) the one that came with color matched hard bags and the half faring. I always thought that particular bike would be a fun addition to the garage. There's a reason Buell no longer makes the trellis-frame models; they all had short life expectancies [mono-shock mounts failing, etc.] and various problems related to their "boutique-builder" status before the H-D cavalry rode in and took the company back in under the corporate umbrella and made Buell into the respectable builder it is today. The trellis-framed models were great for what they were, but you'd be much better off starting w/ the Ulysses and adding the bags to that than messing about w/ the old T-Bolt ST [a bike which Erik Buell told me directly he never wanted to build, but only did so to shut up the moto-press' constant demands for a bike to fill the low-sales-numbers niche...] Ride on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuzziMoto Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 The Ulysses is a great bike, and more reliable then the tube frame Buells. But it lacks the soul and ride quality/feel of the tube frame Buells. I wouldn't say no to a modern aluminum frame Buell but I would have prefered to see Buell spend their R&D money on fixing the few flaws the tube frame bikes had than re-invent the wheel as they did with the new bikes. The tube chassis of the older bikes definetely made for a better street bike then the aluminum frame, which is too nervous and sensitive to set-up. The older bikes did not have that many problems and most of them were not that hard to fix. In fact, the new motor fixed most of the issues and about all that remained was to redesign that rear suspension set up to a proper design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocker59 Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Approaching 20,000 miles on my '04 LeMans Nero Corsa and the only failure has been the odometer. Pretty F-ing trouble-free if you ask me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waspp Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 There's a reason Buell no longer makes the trellis-frame models; they all had short life expectancies [mono-shock mounts failing, etc.] and various problems related to their "boutique-builder" status before the H-D cavalry rode in and took the company back in under the corporate umbrella and made Buell into the respectable builder it is today. The trellis-framed models were great for what they were, but you'd be much better off starting w/ the Ulysses and adding the bags to that than messing about w/ the old T-Bolt ST [a bike which Erik Buell told me directly he never wanted to build, but only did so to shut up the moto-press' constant demands for a bike to fill the low-sales-numbers niche...] Ride on! The Ulysses is a great bike, and more reliable then the tube frame Buells. But it lacks the soul and ride quality/feel of the tube frame Buells. I wouldn't say no to a modern aluminum frame Buell but I would have prefered to see Buell spend their R&D money on fixing the few flaws the tube frame bikes had than re-invent the wheel as they did with the new bikes. The tube chassis of the older bikes definetely made for a better street bike then the aluminum frame, which is too nervous and sensitive to set-up. The older bikes did not have that many problems and most of them were not that hard to fix. In fact, the new motor fixed most of the issues and about all that remained was to redesign that rear suspension set up to a proper design. Interesting stuff as I am Buell ignorant. It does seem as though frame issues could be resolved fairly easily for those of us who are gear heads. The new Buells all seem very short, I haven't ridden a Ulysses but the look is more Dual Sport than tour. I have seen several T bolts with 50k plus miles still hammering along. I don't think I'd ever buy a new Buell but would like to pick up a used one learn more about them. Approaching 20,000 miles on my '04 LeMans Nero Corsa and the only failure has been the odometer. Pretty F-ing trouble-free if you ask me... 19000 on my RC and only an odometer and cable! I agree not bad at all! Hal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocker59 Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 Here's one I'd own: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John in Leeds Posted October 18, 2008 Share Posted October 18, 2008 With all due respect to the opinion holder, the quoted opinion could not be more subjectively incorrect. Keep reading and researching this forum for the next few weeks and you will come to the same conclusion as did I . . . the V11 LeMans is a jewel and will be a collector bike for years to come. If you can find one that has been well cared for, you will have found a treasure and a pleasure to ride and admire. You will get so many compliments wherever you go. This is a unique, different, and very capable multi-use bike. It is definitely a keeper. It took me 40 years of riding, (the last 15 being able to ride what I want) to finally come to the same conclusion as 'okie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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