R1200 vs Guzzi advice

[challey]

Hi guys.
During a ride earlier this year, my brother and I swapped bikes. I got an hour or so on his WeeStrom (nice machine BTW!) and he got the same time on my R1150R. He loved the BMW and is now out looking at an R1200RT but also considering a Guzzi Norge.

I haven't ridden a Guzzi since I traded my V5 in for a Darmah in 1989 but have a lot of respect for the marque. In many respects, Guzzis and BMWs are similar: Torquey 2 cylinder engines, shaft drive, great brakes, excellent handling and quircky but endearing design characteristics. While BMW may have an edge in front suspension design, Guzzi has the edge in the rear shaft drive system. The only thing I see as a significant difference between the two is the US dealer/owners network, where BMW has a big edge.

Anyway, I'm hoping that there are others on this forum who are recent Guzzi owners who can chime in with some pros and cons on this topic.

Charlie

[deilenberger]

Not a Guzzi owner - but discussed the Norge with some this weekend (Hi Harry!)

Two Norge problems:

1 - centerstand drags BADLY on mild left handers.. enough to IMHO be dangerous. That just shouldn't happen..

2 - the engineers forgot to put a hole in the fairing to check the oil level. Level check requires some fairly major fairing disassembly.

And - it has rather complex Italian electronics...

They are really very different bikes from what I've seen. The Norge is closer in function to an RT than an R..

[mogu83]

I've always considered myself first and foremost a Guzzi rider (hence Mogu83) Hi-Don

My main ride for almost 25 years was a Guzzi (usually with a Beemer for backup) and I enjoyed every mile on it. It was running better at 100,000 miles than when it was new and I was always able to fix it when it broke (always minor problems). although it was becoming long of tooth it could still stay with the new stuff at least in the twisties, if ridden properly.

NOW: Why am I on a R1200R?

Basically I don't trust the company, and I can't afford to put my money into a machine that because of lack of dealer support (no dealers in my home state NJ) or lack of replacement parts may become a very expensive lawn ornament if it has a major problem. The old Geese were kind of a nuts and bolt affair, the technology was basic (they were still using points in the 90s)and easily repaired by someone that could turn a wrench, the sophistication of the new machines will require the services of a trained mechanic with access to factory tools.
The new motor in the Norge feels like a Beemer engine the big low and mid-range grunt is gone and the top end doesn't match the R1200.
So I moved to a R1200 (with a Honda and /5 for backup).
I am in the process of negotiations for a T3 than will make a nice Café Racer