What late Classic bike to use for long distances?

[Rannsachair]

Too new really (though the pricedifference buys lots of VED)... and it's in Scotland...

Moto Guzzi Calfornia EV111, 1998 | Moto Guzzi Club GB https://share.google/I6cgGtZTAsxRoNyou

Too Harleyesque for me, I much prefer the style of the 70's/80's bikes.

 

[Robotstar5]

Staying in the Italian camp, and going from your starting list of wants/needs I'd go with Guzzi as they win out on purchase cost, parts availability and weight. Personally I reckon the V50 is the sweet spot for living with and using regularly, great looking bike in that metallic mid-blue too.

A friend of mine had a new one back in 1979, put some hard panniers on and did a lot of 2 up touring.

 

[Popcorn]

Like I said earlier you want one of these guzzi's

Maybe without the sirens

 

[jmp49]

I am thinking Guzzi is the best compromise for me me, never thought of one of the wee ones, will have a look, the V65 possibly too. I am too used to 1000cc bikes that I really never use properly and thought the 850 was a good size.

I always subscribed to the school of thought that if you have a really big/powerful bike, your never going to be using it at near enough its limit to wear it out or stress it too much.
And even if your Earnest Thrasher esq (rip Paul Sample), you cant ride like that today for more than a few weeks and stay out of jail.

It's often overlooked, but power to weight ratio is the important factor, and I'm sure the racers on here will agree, for the sort of roads you'll be riding on it's especially relevant.

A V50 is 55 - 60 hp and weighs 160 Kg so 0.38 hp per Kg.

A Jota 1000 is 92 - 97 hp and weighs 250 Kg so 0.39 hp per Kg.

The obvious advantage that the V50 will have is that when you're pushing it around the drive/garage you'll have to move 90Kg less than for the same activity with a Jota (or a GS1000 as a Japanese equivalent).

Power to weight eh...
How about this,

165kg according to the factory data plate on the headstock (probably a lie, I'll scale it one day for giggles), 150ish bhp (factory claimed 165, but theyre liars). Its italian so some of the electrical parts are problematic, but the bulk is yamaha 1000 exup.
Taken at the bulldog one year, I was only there for the event but thought I'd give it a go for a laugh expecting it to be pants which it was. But it is what it is, you wouldnt want to ruin it for its main playgrounds just to make it launch faster in a straight line.

To validate its genuine italian pedigree It did manage to set fire to itself when the italian made reserve tap solenoid went wrong, and finding lightbulbs loose in the bottom of the CEV light units it shared with a tomos moped was a common occurance before honda innards were grafted in. There was a road test of them back in the day in bike mag where lots of stuff came loose or fell off during the long term test, such was their quality issues despite the image.
Its terrible as a touring bike, after a few hundred miles you might have lost your license trying to use wind pressure to keep the weight off your wrists, and I get mental leg cramps. But it is what it is. Your not actually supposed to ride them places I think. But a really good A road and fast lane weapon. I hit a tractor that turned without signals during a overtake once and stayed on after clipping the kerb on the opposite side of the road...
The delicate kevlar rear wheel hugger broke on the way to this event when my tent slipped off that rear seat hump and got sucked into the wheel so that lives in a shed too now its repaired. Maintenance at the roadside is a nightmare. I think the factory designed everything around needing to take the front forks off first complete, hanging from a special frame in the pits, to remove the one piece wrap around body/faring to get access to anything. I had a mate who did grp for a living, who took a buck from the expensive faring anticipating me smashing it in a off, and we sawn it down the middle and it has dzus's so you can take just one side off. The original kevlar one is in a shed wrapped in a blanket still.
Probably one of the stronger "what not to buy" contender so power to weight isnt that critical, but its not the reserve of small underpowered italian lightweights either..

Edit I found a picture of it naked without farings when we were working on the grp set, you can see how they got the weight down to 165. There's feck all of it besides kevlar bodywork. Yeah that is a road registered bike with a plastic fuel tank. Which is why the under tank fire was so exciting. Fortunately it happened while the seat section was off, and the tank's on rubber bobbin mounts.

Always thought that old Laverdas & Ducatis were too Italian in all the wrong areas (I.e. Fusebox Festivals & tendency to Grenade without warning - not sure Morini's are heaps better (& a bit asthmatic).

Lol, "fusebox festivals" I'll have to remember that next time one of the other italian bike owners I know is starting to get blind to their failings again.

 

[RichardM]

T150 / 160

 

[Cato]

I always subscribed to the school of thought that if you have a really big/powerful bike, your never going to be using it at near enough its limit to wear it out or stress it too much.
And even if your Earnest Thrasher esq (rip Paul Sample), you cant ride like that today for more than a few weeks and stay out of jail.


Power to weight eh...
How about this,
View attachment 538383
165kg according to the factory data plate on the headstock (probably a lie, I'll scale it one day for giggles), 150ish bhp (factory claimed 165, but theyre liars). Its italian so some of the electrical parts are problematic, but the bulk is yamaha 1000 exup.
Taken at the bulldog one year, I was only there for the event but thought I'd give it a go for a laugh expecting it to be pants which it was. But it is what it is, you wouldnt want to ruin it for its main playgrounds just to make it launch faster in a straight line.

To validate its genuine italian pedigree It did manage to set fire to itself when the italian made reserve tap solenoid went wrong, and finding lightbulbs loose in the bottom of the CEV light units it shared with a tomos moped was a common occurance before honda innards were grafted in. There was a road test of them back in the day in bike mag where lots of stuff came loose or fell off during the long term test, such was their quality issues despite the image.
Its terrible as a touring bike, after a few hundred miles you might have lost your license trying to use wind pressure to keep the weight off your wrists, and I get mental leg cramps. But it is what it is. Your not actually supposed to ride them places I think. But a really good A road and fast lane weapon. I hit a tractor that turned without signals during a overtake once and stayed on after clipping the kerb on the opposite side of the road...
The delicate kevlar rear wheel hugger broke on the way to this event when my tent slipped off that rear seat hump and got sucked into the wheel so that lives in a shed too now its repaired. Maintenance at the roadside is a nightmare. I think the factory designed everything around needing to take the front forks off first complete, hanging from a special frame in the pits, to remove the one piece wrap around body/faring to get access to anything. I had a mate who did grp for a living, who took a buck from the expensive faring anticipating me smashing it in a off, and we sawn it down the middle and it has dzus's so you can take just one side off. The original kevlar one is in a shed wrapped in a blanket still.
Probably one of the stronger "what not to buy" contender so power to weight isnt that critical, but its not the reserve of small underpowered italian lightweights either..

Edit I found a picture of it naked without farings when we were working on the grp set, you can see how they got the weight down to 165. There's feck all of it besides kevlar bodywork. Yeah that is a road registered bike with a plastic fuel tank. Which is why the under tank fire was so exciting. Fortunately it happened while the seat section was off, and the tank's on rubber bobbin mounts.
View attachment 538386

Lol, "fusebox festivals" I'll have to remember that next time one of the other italian bike owners I know is starting to get blind to their failings again.

Power to weight with comfort is why I'm building the RF900 project the way I am. Take an extremely comfortable '90s tourer, add in a K5 GSXR 1000. Tweak it, map it, fit a titanium Racefit exhaust, lighten it up and you have 180 hp from a package weighing 180 Kg to hit the magic number.

Pussycat manners for generally getting about, stupid amount of power for playtime.

As for the big/powerful bike thing, if you mean torque for lumping about on motorways and dual carriageways then yes there can be benefits. For the sort of roads @Rannsachair describes riding on then it doesn't really apply.

 

[Rannsachair]

T150 / 160

If I was going for another Brit, would probably be a Commando.

 

[Rannsachair]

BMW heading off to new owner in Surrey tonight:

will now start looking in ernest for the replacement.........

 

[Keithmac]

VFR750 with a Mosfet Regulator Rectifier fitted will be nigh on bulletproof..

 

[RichardM]

1985 Moto Guzzi Lemans

1985 Moto Guzzi LeMans 1000. One owner bike from new(plus the owner's wife after his death) until October 2024. completely rebuilt by Italia Moto in Lincoln, with bills for £6000+ then put in storage...

www.facebook.com

 

[Bobupndown]

BMW heading off to new owner in Surrey tonight:
View attachment 538685

will now start looking in ernest for the replacement.........

That will be quite a journey home.

 

[Rannsachair]

That will be quite a journey home.

Was collected by a bike transporter company based in Doncaster, was heading there first.