Dietrich Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 And it is oh so red! I have been looking at Moto Guzzi for a while. I was considering a 1100 Breva but now ended up with a 2007 Norge in bright red with only 20,000 kms. The Guzzis obviously don't hold their value very well. The price was right. And I didn't buy it with immediate resale in mind. I rode it in still relatively cold weather for the first time last Saturday and am impressed with the handling and power. It is lower than the RT but I believe actually a few pounds heavier. Has a great exhaust note and good torque at lower end. The wind protection with a rather small windshield is surprisingly good. I am looking forward to warmer weather and some nice riding. I still have the 1200GS in the garage which I will use for longer trips. The Russel on the GS certainly is more comfortable than the Guzzi factory seat. I will have to spend some time getting it modified. Link to comment
eddd Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Nice! Keep us posted as you put on more miles. Link to comment
Kathy R Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I thought you bought a refrigerator THAT is a nice looking bike! Link to comment
Dietrich Posted April 4, 2011 Author Share Posted April 4, 2011 No kidding. But when I was riding it on Saturday it felt like riding in a refrigerator! Bloody cold. But it is warming up here in Ontario. Here is a little write up about the history of the name "Norge" (Italian: Norway) copied from Wikipedia: Moto Guzzi created the first single-sided swingarm rear suspension. By 1928, long-distance motorcycle travel was limited by the lack of an effective rear suspension design. Until then, alternative designs sacrificed torsional rigidity – gaining comfort but severely compromising handling. Carlo Guzzi and his brother Giuseppe designed an elastic frame using a sheet-steel box enclosing four springs, together with a swingarm in tubes and sheet metal. The first bike to employ the suspension was named the G.T. (for Gran Turismo, Grand Touring), and to prove the suspension – and gain publicity for Moto Guzzi – the brothers conceived a challenging 4,000-mile (6,400 km) journey from Mandello del Lario to Capo Nord in northern Norway. Despite the very poor condition of European roads at that time, Giuseppe Guzzi reached the Arctic Circle in four weeks. The elastic frame rear suspension was immediately introduced to production machines, transforming the usability of the motorcycle as an everyday form of transportation. Moto Guzzi could rightly claim inventing the first modern rear suspension – a breakthrough leading to the first genuine touring motorcycles. In 2006, Moto Guzzi retraced the 'raid' of 1928 to introduce the Norge 1200. Link to comment
TEWKS Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 That bike is still gonna look great (style wise) in twenty five years! Pat Link to comment
fatbob Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Good for you! That Norge is exactly the same as mine, and I love that bike! Farkles I have added: Russell seat, lower pegs (from a Buell ulysses), Tio Lammers dipstick, larger windscreen (British, can't recall name). I have 16K miles on mine, been reliable. Congratulations! Link to comment
Dietrich Posted April 10, 2011 Author Share Posted April 10, 2011 Thanks, I have done a bit more km's on the bike and really enjoy it. Just bought the larger w/shield on e-bay, British made by "skidmarx". Should be here next week. Will also look into lowering the pegs. Anyway, enjoy your Norge and ride safely. We have a few bikes in our Crescent and one of my neighbours driving by commented: "Finally a red bike in the street!" And I am too old for midlife crisis, so that's not it. Link to comment
pickersgill1 Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 http://www.skidmarx.co.uk/index.html Link to comment
Troy Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Beautiful, red and Italian... What's not to like! Enjoy the new ride. Link to comment
fatbob Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Dietrich: Skidmarx is what I have. Good design, no buffetting. Buell pegs require minor mods but lower feet by 3 cm. every little bit helps an old guy like me! Link to comment
Fubar Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 I will have to spend some time getting it modified. Let the farkling begin. Nice bike. My grandfather always referred to the refrigerator as a Norge, and occasionally, my grandmother, Norah, as well. Link to comment
2wheel Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Very nice. love the Norge...havent test ridden one...if they offered cruise control I might have been all over it before (just one of those things I seem to want these days on my bikes). Guzzi's are nice....not your everyday see em all over bike... Phil Link to comment
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