Cars and bikes I’ve come across in my travels

My brother has 1000S with a slightly modified engine.
No chains in the engine. Twin spark plugs per cylinder.
It’s a lovely bike to ride.
Handles well, good torque and power characteristics.
He finds the riding position a little compromising but has recently had two new hips and that was a major game changer.
It has a much better gearbox to a similar era BMW. My BMW Boxer has a Cray rebuilt gearbox and is now similar to the Moto Guzzi.
Controls are good but my brother did find the throttle a bit heavy but we got that sorted with new carburettor tops and better cables.
Has given him years of pleasure.
 
hooksey said:
How do you rate them….?
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Bought mine new when I was 23, got cheesed off with the heavy Dellorto’s and fitted Mikunis off KLR650 . We had to change new carbs on showroom bikes as Kawasaki went to water heated version so I had brand new ones in the tool box - come in handy one day. When I worked with a Dyno I fitted carbs, CND Bruce dissembowled the stainless exhausts and I fitted Dyna ignition - it’s been that way for thirty odd years.
Motor is big valve version, very strong, pulls top from 30mph - 120mph. Doesn’t use any oil. Once did Watford to Okehampton in 3 hrs dead after work .
I’ve toured all over Europe, 13 hour days, 550miles on A roads - it’s awesome at long distance days. It handles better fully loaded, slow steering and likes to be in too high a gear climbing out of corners using the torque. I bought it without having ever ridden a Guzzi- everyone warned me “ Italian Electrics, reliability problems…” I can honestly say it has never left me in the lurch- I’ve popped & banged into Le Mans ( of all places!) with a cracked plug cap, and I had a coil that would play up when hot coasting down hill. Just recently I had a brake hose break up but it is 33 years old. Little bit wrist heavy at slow speed & the footrests are too high- I’ve thought about moving them but it’s a bit of a faff.
Without doubt my best purchase ever- I ordered one with Mag wheels and it came with spokes “ it’s the last one available..” I was told which turned out to be true. Never going to sell it, I have literally grown up with it, my kids call it “ the big Guzz” & I have ridden some epic journeys on it. I used to joke that if I took it to Italy it would find its on way to the factory- I did go to the factory and got lost and I swear the bike made me take a left turn and I ended up outside the famous factory gates. Yeah , I suppose I do rate them..
Just found a picture of the Guzz in a Forest in the Pyrenees- I took a track thinking it would turn into a road- logging track in forest..
 

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Exmoor beast said:
Bought mine new when I was 23, got cheesed off with the heavy Dellorto’s and fitted Mikunis off KLR650 . We had to change new carbs on showroom bikes as Kawasaki went to water heated version so I had brand new ones in the tool box - come in handy one day. When I worked with a Dyno I fitted carbs, CND Bruce dissembowled the stainless exhausts and I fitted Dyna ignition - it’s been that way for thirty odd years.
Motor is big valve version, very strong, pulls top from 30mph - 120mph. Doesn’t use any oil. Once did Watford to Okehampton in 3 hrs dead after work .
I’ve toured all over Europe, 13 hour days, 550miles on A roads - it’s awesome at long distance days. It handles better fully loaded, slow steering and likes to be in too high a gear climbing out of corners using the torque. I bought it without having ever ridden a Guzzi- everyone warned me “ Italian Electrics, reliability problems…” I can honestly say it has never left me in the lurch- I’ve popped & banged into Le Mans ( of all places!) with a cracked plug cap, and I had a coil that would play up when hot coasting down hill. Just recently I had a brake hose break up but it is 33 years old. Little bit wrist heavy at slow speed & the footrests are too high- I’ve thought about moving them but it’s a bit of a faff.
Without doubt my best purchase ever- I ordered one with Mag wheels and it came with spokes “ it’s the last one available..” I was told which turned out to be true. Never going to sell it, I have literally grown up with it, my kids call it “ the big Guzz” & I have ridden some epic journeys on it. I used to joke that if I took it to Italy it would find its on way to the factory- I did go to the factory and got lost and I swear the bike made me take a left turn and I ended up outside the famous factory gates. Yeah , I suppose I do rate them..
Just found a picture of the Guzz in a Forest in the Pyrenees- I took a track thinking it would turn into a road- logging track in forest..
Click to expand...
My brother's has Dyna ignition and has in the past burnt out coils.
What Ohm rating are you using on 'the big Guzz'?
 
Charley said:
My brother's has Dyna ignition and has in the past burnt out coils.
What Ohm rating are you using on 'the big Guzz'?
Click to expand...
I went to green Dyna 3 ohm coils because I thought the ignition might have caused the original points coil to fail. It was odd because I had resistor plugs and caps that were letting the coil “ build up “ and masking the problem. If I coasted down hill it would pop on one cylinder then stutter before clearing like a flooded carb. Took me a while to suss it but I used to run a third coil as a spare on the bike so just switched it over. Definately run Dyna coils with a Dyna ignition . Original coils weren’t all that and were known to fail.
 
Exmoor beast said:
I went to green Dyna 3 ohm coils because I thought the ignition might have caused the original points coil to fail. It was odd because I had resistor plugs and caps that were letting the coil “ build up “ and masking the problem. If I coasted down hill it would pop on one cylinder then stutter before clearing like a flooded carb. Took me a while to suss it but I used to run a third coil as a spare on the bike so just switched it over. Definately run Dyna coils with a Dyna ignition . Original coils weren’t all that and were known to fail.
Click to expand...
Thank you, my brother's 1000S has 3 ohm dual outlet coils, Dyna. and has had a repetitive fault of coil failure. I will ask him to check what plug caps and plugs he has as that may be a contributor factor. He is in Crediton Devon.
 
FOIM, lots of nice bike down there in Mehikko, Hooksey
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2026 Festival of Italian Motorcycles (FOIM)- Illustrated brief recap

The 2026 Festival of Italian Motorcycles (FOIM) is done and dusted, excellent weather ensured a big turnout and while the events main organiser Phil Doland from the Classic Italian Motorcycle Association of Australia (CIMAA) described this years Italian dirt bike theme as ‘vanity eventing’, it...
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Exmoor beast said:
I went to green Dyna 3 ohm coils because I thought the ignition might have caused the original points coil to fail. It was odd because I had resistor plugs and caps that were letting the coil “ build up “ and masking the problem. If I coasted down hill it would pop on one cylinder then stutter before clearing like a flooded carb. Took me a while to suss it but I used to run a third coil as a spare on the bike so just switched it over. Definately run Dyna coils with a Dyna ignition . Original coils weren’t all that and were known to fail.
Click to expand...
I thought it was a no no to run both resistor plugs and caps together. I thought it was one or other. 🤔
 
Alan said:
I thought it was a no no to run both resistor plugs and caps together. I thought it was one or other. 🤔
Click to expand...
It is! My caps broke up in France ( NGK both caps went crumbly?) and I bought some in a Honda shop in Le Mans . I was just thankful to get some caps at the time to get me home- so that’s how I ended up with double resistors on board. You are exactly right but it acted like a “ button” giving the coils longer to build up.
 
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