2003 Moto Guzzi reviews

I GREW UP ON HARLEYS. OVER THE YEARS, HARLEYS CHANGED AND HARLEY RIDERS CHANGED. BACK IN THE DAY HARLEYS WERE SPECIAL. NO MORE NOW - THEY ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE. I WANTED SOMETHING DIFFERENT SO I GOT MYSELF A GUZZI STONE. WHAT A BIKE! THE PRICE WAS RIGHT, THE BIKE WENT AS FAST AS I COULD STAND, AND I WOULD NOT BE AFRAID TO RIDE FROM WASHINGTON TO NEW YORK. I TELL YOU THE BIKE LOOKS GREAT, IT RUNS GREAT, AND IT GET LOOKS EVERY WHERE I GO. I HAVE A HARLEY AND IT IS ALSO A GOOD BIKE BUT THE BIKES ARE NOT THE SAME. IF YOU WANT PEOPLE TO THINK YOU ARE A BAD ASS, GET A HARLEY. IF YOU WANT A BIKE FOR THE PURE MOTORCYCLIST, GET A GUZZI. YOU WILL BE HAPPY WITH THE GUZZI! Show less

I bought my Guzzi three and a half years ago after 20+ years of no riding. I was attracted to the uniqueness and Italian style, as well as a heritage that matches any other brand. I have been thoroughly pleased with nearly all aspects of the ride. I get very favorable comments nearly every time anyone sees it. Whether it's young kids, middle aged women in SUVs, hot rodders, or tourists, they all say 'what a cool ride'. I ride every day from April through October and weekends during the remainder of the year. It has only let me down once when my battery died. Otherwise it is extremely reliable and solid. The performance is very good and rarely have I wished for more. This bike is very flexible. I have gone on many errands picking up all kinds of large items. I have a backrest/rack that handles everything. In fact, I occasionally look like I'm in Thailand with a week's worth of groceries on the back. The only complaints are clutch adjustment, speedo cable, and slow parts delivey. Other than that, it is an excellent and unique motorcycle. I could take it to 100k miles and I couldn't be more pleased. Show less

The Stone just turned over 8000 miles. The tail light assembly was replaced under warranty. The engine ticks a little sometimes but runs better now then when it was new. I really like this bike a lot! My BMW is a better motorcycle but I like my Stone more. Bike uses no oil between changes. I'm running Shell Rotella 5w-40 and UFI filter. Next summer I'll run 15w-50 oil in it for the hot weather. Alaska Leather sheepskin makes the seat bearable now. Show less

I got an excellent deal on this bike. I live in Orange Couny, CA and the local dealer is apparently the largest in the US. They bought 40 aluminums direct from Italy, so a good portion of the volumne discount was passed on to buyers. I've riden for over 10 years, and my prior bikes included a Honda CM400E (beginner bike), Honda Goldwing (drove cross country in college), and most recently a Honda Nighthawk which my brother gave to me, and I subsequently sold to help purchase the Guzzi. Part of the reason I bought this bike (other than the very good price) was the character. You can see from my past that I was a plain Jane Honda rider, and the Nighthawk is as boring as it gets, even though it's a very reliable bike. I wanted something special. I looked at Harleys, but they are a dime a dozen, and more expensive. The Guzzi aluminum/stone/titanium look is right on in my opinion, so I couldn't pass up the good deal. I've put almost two thousand miles on the bike so far. It has performed without problems. I bought the sport windshield and it's very good at keeping wind off your chest, plus it doesn't ruin the look of the bike. I also purchased the passenger back rest, and it's especially nice since it has passenger hand rails. Next I will get the center stand, which will make it easier to clean (polishing the back rim is a pain when you can't twirl the wheel). The heated grips will probably come after that at some point. The side leather bags are very expensive at around $800, so I'll probably pass on those. I bought a $100 4-piece touring set that I can attach to the back rest so I'm all set for light touring. The ride is on the sporty side and the bike has very good clearance. The disadvantage of this bike vs. the touring Guzzi's is that the rear shock is not adjustable. I would like the ability to 'futz' around with it a bit, but it's really not that bad. Plus, Guzzi does have a "king and queen" touring seet on their web site that I might look into, although it costs about $500 and is intended for the touring Guzzi's (although my dealer said he could install it on the Aluminum). My only gripes are the following:

Sometimes the gas cap is difficult to remove. I believe this is called "vapor lock", and it may only affect bikes in California due to emissions requirements. Apparently there is a way to fix this and I'll need to do more research. It would suck to get stranded because you can't fill up, although I've always been able to remove it after some struggling.

For some reason the tachometer fogs up after riding a few minutes, then it goes away. This doesn't happen to the speedometer, which has the same type of housing. Very odd, but not a big deal.

The clutch is a bit tempermental at times, but I've heard it gets better over time, and it's not bad by any means. I guess I'm used to the Japanese shifters which are a bit more predictable. I've found that using the heal shifter is very useful, and it's convenient as well since you can just stomp on it. At first I thought I wouldn't like the heel/toe shifter but I've grown to like it.

The fuel light comes on too early (I think). Supposedly it's a 5 gallon tank, but my fuel light comes on after about 120 miles. When I fill up the tank it takes over 2 gallons. One of these days I'll carry a can of gas with me and find out the true range of the tank. A fuel light coming on with over 2 gallons in the tank seems a bit early to me. Well, that's about it. It's a good looking, torquey, sporty, great handling, character filled bike with shaft drive and fuel injection, at a great price (at least for me). And the best part is there isn't one at every corner. Thumbs up!

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I bought the Guzzi in the fall of 2003 brand new after riding a '94 Kawasaki Vulcan 750 for quite a while. The Vulcan got totaled (rear-ended), so I starting shopping around. The overall sale was because the dealer was so much better than the other dealers I had talked with, but I haven't had a real complaint since! A great bike overall with torquey power to satisfy those long 2-up trips on hilly roads. Mileage has varied between 37 mpg (hard riding directly after break in) up to 47 mpg (constant 75 mph interstate travel), averaging 42 right now. The mileage has been creeping up over time though. The original tires lasted about 8000 miles, so I replaced them with Michelins. These seem to be doing alright, except that the front tire is nearly bald after only 6000 miles. Running the full synthetic oil has increased the mileage about 10%. The only problems have been a fuel line popping off (repaired under warranty) and the clutch starting to slip. This is to be replaced with a double plate clutch this winter, under warranty. Other than that this bike will run with the crotch rockets or cruise with the Harleys and always seems to draw a crowd from both sectors. Show less

I purchased this bike as a "backup" or second bike at the end of July 2004. I did a substantial amount of research before making a purchase decision - reliability and durability are extremely important to me, as I average about 20,000 miles a year in the saddle(in New England!). The more I read and the more owners that I talked to, the clearer it became to me that this marque is about low maintenance, reliability and long term durability. BMW's new bikes just didn't do anything for me in the style and comfort departments. SO - I bought this new '03 Guzzi EV Touring from my local dealer. The research paid off! What a GREAT bike! As I said earlier - this was to be a second bike; a backup. Well, it has pretty much become my primary ride. This bike has a very wide power band and handles like a sport bike in disguise. Lean angles possible on this bike(even with 40 litre bags attached) are NUTS for a cruiser style bike. EXCELLENT suspension with even better brakes! Beautiful, stainless spoked, TUBELESS wheels. It doesn't have the Cadillac ride of my '01 Electra Glide Classic, but it more than makes up for it in braking, handling, and all around performance. AND - the bike has TONS of personality! I've been riding for over 30 years now and I can honestly say that so far, this is one of the most satisfying bikes I've ever ridden. Maintenance is a breeze and so far the bike has been trouble free. This bike gives the impression of being built like a truck! Very high quality components include: dual Brembo four piston calipers on the front with floating 320 mm rotors; stainless braided brake lines; 280 mm rotor with Brembo caliper in the rear; linked braking system; tubeless spoked rims; 45 mm front forks with adjustable compression and rebound damping; shaft drive; Metzler tires... etc. And of course - that beautiful 90 degree V-twin! A WONDERFUL motorcycle engine - smooth, torquey, and powerful from 2000 RPM all the way up to its redline of 8000 RPM. About the only thing I can fault with this bike is the seat. I find that after about 200 miles or so, I start getting the dreaded sore tailbone and numb butt... but in the grand scheme of things this is a very minor criticism. I plan on either replacing my seat or having it re-padded and reshaped by a local shop this winter. (Also note that I am 6'2" and of large build) A great bike and one I plan on keeping for many years and many miles. Show less

I have had the stone black for 6000 mile - no trouble - just a sheer joy to own and ride. Theres nothing like it anywhere do not let anyone tell that this is not a great bike its outstanding and is now being built to high standards. Show less

I just purchased the aluminum about a month ago. The handling is incredible. The engine has plenty of torque during all ranges of riding. The transmission shifts smoothly and the suspension is magnificent. My complaint is that there are very few after market accessories available, i.e., good rider backrest, dual touring saddle, after market exhaust, etc. The usual carriers of these products (that I have checked with) do not have them available for this bike. I've been on my dealer since I bought the bike. Looks like a trip to Pennsylvania is in order to get it set up the way I want it. The seat is comparable to a brick (of any color). Show less

This is an update of a review I posted in late 2002. I have had my 2003 Stone Metal since August 2002 and now have ~7700 miles on the odometer. The bike has been an absolute joy, trouble free and runs like a scalded dog! As the miles pass, the transmission/clutch, which started out somewhat notchy, has started to smooth out quite nicely. The bike runs perfectly, braking is excellent and handling is excellent as well. I have added the Guzzi Stone Touring windshield, some soft luggage from motorbags.com and highway bars/pegs from mgcycle.com and the bike is a pleasure for touring use. It's also a great around town bike and I ride it to work daily, weather permitting(damned Nebraska winters!!) All in all, it's a fantastic bike and I can't see myself ever parting with it. It does everything I want it to do and does it very well. chris in omaha Show less

its a good bike, light, awesome breaks, confortable (only for the rider) it gets about 130 miles an hour (great)!!!! i beat many harleys with this baby. (about 90hp). affordable price! buy it. Show less