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Out-gunned and maybe even outclassed today!!!

6K views 87 replies 21 participants last post by  luxlamf 
#1 ·
My ride- 06 streetrod. VMOD pipes/tab fuel manager. I sadly admit, that it not tuned the way it should be. Saving $ for a custom setup.

So met up with a friend of mine in the Bay Area today. He rides a 2009 motto guzzi griso. First time I have seen it. Now his Griso is tuned, flashed, and has a custom suspension setup. Of course he has a PCV and Custom exhaust.

So being that I was in his home turf, he led the way. We started out at a medium pace and went all over Oakland and Berkeley. Then off to the Bay Bridge and into Marin county we went.. that's were I had a hard time keeping up. As a surprise to me, he was faster off of 1st gear and I could barely hang on in the twisties, I mean barely!!! We are both at same skill level, which I would say is intermediate. So on the way back we switched bikes, during the trip to Marin, I thought that maybe he was just the better rider.

Round 2
It took me about 10-15 minutes to get comfortable with the griso. Once I was at ease, I tell ya, he was dust- this not make feel good as he was on my bike!!!! Just like me he could barely keep up. The only places were he would manage catch up was on the I880 were we averaged about 80-90 MPH through moderate traffic.

In conclusion, i dunno I am a little dissapointed. I still luv my streetrod I think it has more curb appeal and presence, but damn!! Really?? Did I just get taken by a Griso? Well, sadly it looks like I did.:barf:

I been looking for a 2nd bike, was thinking of a buell CR 1125 or used zx14. But now I am strongly considering the Griso.
 

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#43 ·
Griso was a sneaky and unsavory character in an Italian novel, "I Promessi Sposi", or "The Betrothed" (litereally I promise to marry) In English.

Don't try to understand how the Guidos think. It is not a rational country.
 
#67 ·
'

No. I been looking for bike number 2 for quite sometime. Just perfect timing.
Stopped by the dealership today to pick up something for the Triumph before going and riding the moutains and a friend of mine came a cross a used one, LOves it and might just be buying it next week. But since He rode my Scrambler today for 110 miles he is now leaning towards the Scrambler.



 

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#68 ·
Stopped by the dealership today to pick up something for the Triumph before going and riding the moutains and a friend of mine came a cross a used one, LOves it and might just be buying it next week. But since He rode my Scrambler today for 110 miles he is now leaning towards the Scrambler.



I always liked the scrambler. Never ridden one. If you come to Monterey, hit me up. We will put the Griso and Scrambler througha good run
 
#10 ·
I was really considering buying a Griso. I was finally able to test ride one last week. The riding position was fine, but I found the vibration in the 3-4K RPM range uncomfortable. I came home and rode my Night Rod for a comparison, and I must say it cured me of Griso fever. I really wanted to like the Griso, but I can't picture myself on one long term.
 
#44 ·
To pass the DoT noise test you will find many manufacturers lean the mixture out between three and four grand because that is roughly the rpm most bikes will run at during the noise test. This flat spot can almost always be tuned out with a flash to the ECU, or at worst a custom EPROM. My old room mate, who's day job is a program manager at General Atomics developing things like semiconducting homopolar DC motors for Naval applications or the electromagnetic catapult for the Gerald Ford class aircraf carriers, has a nice side business doing exactly this for Moto Guzzis and his EPROM is well regarded among Guzzi enthusiasts.
 
#14 ·
I agree- faster but uglier. In our defense as VROD, by buddies griso as stated above is tuned with custom suspension dialed in. He has an extra 12-15HP over a stock griso and is about 15lbs lighter as well.. with the mods he has made.

So yeah, I guess you all are spot on. I should not have been surprised.
 
#26 ·
What does this mean? Were you there? Umm no. Performance wise I was taken, fair and square and I am man enough to admit it! That said, I still think in the looks department- I win :)
 
#46 ·
For what you will spend for a Griso after selling the R, you could tune your R to more than run with that Griso. Then take a track school and really learn how to ride.

On public roads you cannot use any big bore street bike fully, especially the high end sport bikes. Sight lines, bad pavement, traffic, fast left right combinations and self preservation keep speeds well below what the same bike could achieve on a race track. For me, I really couldn't ride faster on a dedicated sport bike than I do on the R because my brain can't process inputs any faster than I am going now. The R will do anything my brain is up to. What you have is more than fast enough to run with most sport bikes on public roads if you know how to handle your tool. Take a track school and do some careful suspension tuning, buy some dyno time and have fun. You don't need a new bike.
 
#52 ·
Philthy-

Interesting. I dont have the time or patience to mess with suspension just yet. That said, I know you a lot about the R. What fuel tuner do you recommend? PM me if you need too.
 
#64 ·
Well said. I never purchased my Street Rod to race or take our on the drag strip, I purchased it because I was drawn to the looks the mystic and it's still no slouch in the performance arena.

That said, after riding the Griso, I really enjoyed it. It is my no means a hard core racer ala GSX, BMW RR or a hooligan machine like a Street Triple or Z1000. It's more a of the Brits would say " PROPER performance machine". Mostly I like how light weight and well balanced it was. It makes for a very good urban motorcycle. I live in Monterey, and the streets are small and crowded (tourist traffic) we are also blessed with good back country roads, and the Griso performs well on those too.

Again, I love my R, and well probably start to tune it as per "Philthy" guidance, he gave me some real good pointers. I think both bikes compliment each other. I am a happy camper.

I pick the Griso up this weekend. For those interested I will post a review and a video on youtube if the demand is present.

cheers and ride safe all
 
#70 ·
V-Rod really isn't that fast unless you compare it to other HDs or cruisers. I came off a Ducati Streetfighter, tuned to 165hp at the crank and a little over 400# wet. The V-Rod feels like a snail after riding the Duc for the last time. But, for a huge power cruiser, it is still the bomb. I live 300+ miles from the nearest curve (well, that's almost true) and the V-Rod is much more enjoyable overall on the roads I ride, even if it isn't nearly as powerful or quick. What I do miss more than the power or handling is the braking actually.
 
#72 ·
So it is on EBAY already? Dang, that was fast! Does look tall for you. Have fun with the new one. I would trade my 09 AW for your R. Might fit you better. Joe
 
#76 ·
Speeddeacon;2371557[B said:
]V-Rod really isn't that fast unless you compare it to other HDs or cruisers[/B]. I came off a Ducati Streetfighter, tuned to 165hp at the crank and a little over 400# wet. The V-Rod feels like a snail after riding the Duc for the last time. But, for a huge power cruiser, it is still the bomb. I live 300+ miles from the nearest curve (well, that's almost true) and the V-Rod is much more enjoyable overall on the roads I ride, even if it isn't nearly as powerful or quick. What I do miss more than the power or handling is the braking actually.
That first sentence says it all. It is, after all, a cruiser, a true cruiser.
I'm sure however, that HD loves when their bike gets compared to Ducat's, BMW's and the like, even if not favorable. HD in the same breathe with Ducati? Even after 10 years? Yup, they can market. And I have not ridden another 6-700# bike that stops as well, ABS or not.
 
#77 ·
Didn't mean to stir a pot with my comments. I don't know any official times for acceleration and braking, just stating my riding impressions. My V-Rod is not nearly as quick or responsive as my Streetfighter was and I didn't expect it to be. More torque, more HP and less weight equals quicker acceleration (of course gearing, tires, etc. come into play but for the sake of discussion we'll leave that out).

Now, I do admit that my V-Rod is brand new and the brakes are not fully bedded in so that may taint my impression, but with all of my other "new" bikes the improvement was not that tremendous as they bedded in, ABS or no. Perhaps that will not be the case on the V-Rod and they will significanly improve with miles. That being said, the Streetfighter's big Brembos reigned in the power and weight like right now. Grab a big handful of right lever and a bit of rear pedal to stabilize and you generate a lot of g's as you stop very, very quickly. On my first rides on the V-Rod, I notice it takes a lot more distance to bring her to a stop. Again, I don't expect the V-Rod to stop as quickly, I was just saying that I miss that more than the power. I do love the V-Rod and it really meets my needs for the riding I do now.
 
#80 ·
We have gotten way off topic. I merely compared the performance of the Moto Guzzi Griso 1200 vs my HD Street Rod. Both of these bikes are semi sport standards with a touch of muscle crusier- TRUE hybrids.

I was not comparing the GRISO with the standard VROD, regardless of model, all other VRODS minus the VRSCR are true muscle cruisers and they are posses industry leading numbers in performance. I do not think many other power cruisers can keep up with the VROD. I have tested the Victory Judge and Hammer. I have owner a Star Stryker and ridden the Star Warrior. The aforementioned bikes can't touch the VROD. If was looking at the power cruiser class- then I would order me a 2013 Night Rod special maybe a Muscle.

Cheers
 
#81 ·
They all appear to be cruisers, so I didn't read it. I prefer physcis and engineering :)

If you fit a sports bike and a V-Rod with no ABS and equally sticky tyres, the low, long V-Rod chassis will mash its front wheel into the ground under braking, giving extra grip and the leaving the rear capable of offering a little help, while the sports bike will try and rotate round the front wheel. So a rider skilled enough to howl the front wheel on both bikes will win on the V-Rod.

However, he'll have to be Superman. The V-Rod has cheap, nasty front suspension, last generation brakes, and the geometry means if you do lose the front you will need incontinence pants. So no ABS and non GP level rider, the sports bike wins.

However put ABS on both bikes, when both riders stamp and pull on everything and let the ABS do its thing, unless the road is bumpy enough to upset the cheap Showas, the V-Rod should win.

Or to put it another way, I don't need ABS on my sports bike, I can howl the tyres happily, and if the wheel locks (happens every other year) I have time to release and re-apply. On the V-Rod I dare not howl the wheels, I don't have enough feel (couple of times I locked the front I nearly had a heart attack), so I have to brake more gently, so I lose out to my sports bike. Give me ABS, and the deal changes.

So if you reckon the brakes on your V-Rod feel weak, it because you are not applying them hard enough. And if you have no ABS, damn right!
 
#83 ·
Despite the shared hardware and similar styling, the Street Rod feels very different from any other member of the V-Rod family. If you haven't had a chance to ride an R, find one and ride it, because if you are basing your opinion of how an R stacks up against something like a Guzzi or any other sporty standard based on your ownership of one of the other V-Rod models, you are missing some data. The R has a lot more cornering clearance, more rear suspension travel, rides better, turns in much differently and is completely neutral when cranked over on a footpeg. Also, the R's riding positon with the torso leaned forward puts the riders head closer to the top clamp and changes your whole perception of what the bike is doing underneath you. There is more communication through the controls, and the bike responds to rider inputs quicker. Whether you like the R or not is not the question here. The R is a very different motorcycle from other V-Rod models and is far closer to something like that Guzzi than the other V-Rod models.
 
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