MOTO-GUZZI 1100 SPORT (1995 - 2000) Review

Version: Corsa

Year: 1998

Annual servicing cost: £250

A contemporary of the Ducati 900SS (Pantah) and it shares same failings as they were products of effectively bankrupt companies of parts bin engineering and some very cheap components and dubious paint work. But despite this they are both glorious bikes which are easy to maintain, robust mechanics and ooze character that makes them worth spending money on today despite being over two decades old. To ride the 1100 sport you will find many flaws weight and size means that on a tight B road it can feel like you are trying to steer a narrow boat and the need for Guzzi to squeeze a marketable 150 mph out of the bikes whilst using an exiting gear set means it is stuck with a high top gear which makes stop start hard work and your clutch hand strong. The gear change is not anywhere near as agricultural (better than BMW’s of the same era) as people will have you believe; it is genuinely positive but slow by modern standards. Up changes are clutch-less and easily done smoothly, down changes need to be done with plenty of time, not because of the gearbox, but heavy flywheel (not by Guzzi standards) and primitive fuel injection means you need time to pick the revs up. My technique is to drop two gears to third and then drop to second as you enter the roundabout or turn. If you have money to spend, then there as some good improvements, if you have a Corsa (the last variant) then you get the stronger conrods but more importantly you have the lighter and more efficient Termignoni exhaust which sounds fantastic whilst still being quiet enough to not offend the MOT man. Replica systems are available from the Guzzi specialists or you can have one fabricated. I would recommend an ECU upgrade to improve throttle response (I use the MY-ECU) which offers a closed circuit option, ability to Bluetooth android devices and an auto tune function to adapt it to your style, fuel etc. If you go this route don’t fall into the trap of junking the airbox, instead fit a K&N filter and take advantage of the ram air effect that used to confuse the old open loop fuel injection. If you have more money, then I would recommend dual plugging, as the high compression pistons are domed and so the engine needs to run a large torque robbing ignition advance. Dual Plugging reduces this by 20% and gives a good boost to the mid-range. If you are doing this I would also recommend when the heads are off that you get the heads modified as the squish area is suboptimal and causes a lower mid-range flat spot. I went all in, included a tweaked cam, balanced crankshaft, ported valves as well. The end result was the bike on dyno now just edges the 110hp they claimed for the Corsa with the termignoni exhaust, but biggest improvement is in fueling and broad and strong mid-range torque curve that will hurl you between the bends without need to trouble the gearbox (3rd for B Roads, 4th for twisty A Roads and 5th for sweeping A roads prison sentence speeds). This brings me back to why I give it 5 stars, I have more modern, more powerful and better bikes, but none feel so special or are as rewarding to ride well as the Guzzi.

Buying experience: I paid £5000 in 2013 for a tidy one that had just 7.5k miles.

Year: 1998

Annual servicing cost: £70

Best looking bike ever made, but also great old school fun. Feels like riding a spitfire, shakes and roars.

Buying experience: Private

Version: Carburettored

Year: 1996

Not a bike for around town. Open roads & a well setup 1100 sport will surprise.

Version: Fuel injection

Year: 1997

Annual servicing cost: £500

Really fun to ride and to be seen riding. The riding position is a bit more aggressive than what I generally like but it is a sports bike so that is all part of it.

Version: Fuel Injectes

Year: 1997

Annual servicing cost: £200

This bike is long and low. Whenever I ride the thing I keep on thinking in my head "torpedo boat". The bike is geared very tall, so for riding around town you are in first and second gear and that is it. You might as well be on a scooter. At 100MPH on the open road she is right in her sweet spot but of course in most places on this planet that will get you into trouble with law enforcement, so learn to live with the frustration of never really being able to enjoy this bike as she was designed to be ridden. You probably won't see another at the local coffee shop so be prepared to spend countless hours of your life explaining to people what it is, who makes it, where it is from, why you won't sell it. Middle aged Italian men will hurl themselves at you as they jump up from their seat at the cafe and run out to grab your arm and tell you about the time they rode on a Moto Guzzi back home, blah, blah, blah. People who really appreciate motorcycles, really true enthusiasts, will give you a pat on the shoulder and tell you that they always admired the 1100 Sport but never got around to getting one. Sitting on a milk crate to adjust the valves is one of the most humane and pleasurable motorcycle maintenance tasks I have ever encountered. I do it once a year. I have never had to actually adjust the valves. Takes me 20 minutes total with a break for a cigarette fit in. My transmission shifts quite well actually. Never really encountered the false neutral thing everybody talks about. You do have to give the shifter a strong boot though. Same sort of thing as you would a Harley. Worst features....open shaft drive is a bit of pain to lube. For me its a 10-15 minute thing. Some of the paint has flaked off the engine block. The stock fuel injection is mapping is trash, you need to have your ECU flashed by someone that knows what they are doing. Most Ducati shops can do this for you.

This year I bought my 1100 sport with 14,000k on clock. As I write 28.12.11 in 12 months Gloria and I have ridden 20,000k together. Bought specifically to take me to Mugello, I also used it for Jerez Moto GP as a test run. We road home to UK in one 23 hour day, 1,477 miles! Whilst it never missed a beat, on its run to Mugello, it burnt out two batteries, melted back disc! and lights failed at midnight near track. Road home to UK in one go, 1,050 miles. It is absolutley brilliant to ride and at 100 mph / 160kph really comfy. Electrics have been its down side. Regulator packing up in Metz,the second time it has reached a garage on a low loader. Whilst my 1200 Bandit has travel 84,000 miles without one problem, the Guzzi put by far the biggest smile on your face. Biggest problem, my wife will not do more than 40 miles on pillion seat. As for vibrations, love them, you know she is alive, you can feel it, become involved with her. To me its is a classic shape, like a E type Jaguar, timeless.