I'm in love, but is it platonic?

[dandelion]

Hello all,

Been riding a RV125 (Vanvan) for a year and a half, and it does everything I need it to do: commute and fun to a degree. It makes me happy.

DAS is now booked and I'm a little reluctant to change it, because I do not 'have to', if not for the fact that I'd like to go farther away with less effort. It would also be absurd to think the bike will last forever as my current annual mileage is 7,000 miles, perhaps more with a full license. So I often save up on the side for when changing up is right.

To the point: saw a Moto Guzzi Stone and fell in love with it for personal-sentimental reasons (my dad rode a V50), I also like the shaft drive, V-twin position and overall style.

But is this a sort of bike that can cope well with the outdoors? Sadly I rent and do not have a garage, the vanvan has obviously suffered a little as I ride it 4 times a day, 5 days a week, any weather plus the weekend rides. How do Moto Guzzis cope with the winter months?

If I were to buy one, it wouldn't be a few months from now anyway. Surely moving home just to have a garage for a bike isn't normal... is it?

Thanks for your advice.

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Won't be much different to the vanvan I wouldn't have thought - i.e. in terms of resilience to the elements. Get the ACF50 on the go innit.
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[Knacker]

Me and the Missus rent our house and if we ever look at moving a Garage is the first on the checklist, I don't care if the house doesn't have a Kitchen as long as it has a garage.
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Current: Gsxr 600 Srad - GS125 - DT125
Previous: K1 GSXR 1000

[Dave70]

Yep, a garage is high on the priority list when I next move, so I guess it does seem quite normal for those with bikes. Not only for storing it at night but, to have somewhere to work on it and store tools.
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There ain't no devil, there's just god when he's drunk.

2012: R125 killed by white van. 2016 R125 killed by 30,000 miles of redline. Current: 2016 Kawasaki ER6f.

[Rogerborg]

[Teflon-Mike]

The V7 is a direct descendant of your Dad's V50. Same air-cooled push-rod twin, just bored & stroked to 750cc, without ACTALLY increasing the power very much. Same rear end, though swing arms a little longer. Just different bodywork for the most part.
And they are still made the same way, with pretty much the same Quality control Ie a BMW with more soul but less finish.
Remember the morning after your Dad treated the V50 to a service? Cleaned the rust off the cast iron discs with wire wool and vinegar? And it looked great until the following morning? Yup, well, I DONT think they have changed much. Solid enough... BUT, would drive a Solvol nut to a nervous breakdown.
If you dont mind a bit of 'patina' they are robust enough, and can crank up high miles, they seem to actually LIKE regular use, to keep the discs clean and stop stuff seizing, BUT, they loose their show-room shine quickly, and old-school push-rod motor? Dont be duped into thinking that because it has a shaft drive it's a low to no maintenance motorcycle. It does need a bit by modern standards.
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[Rogerborg]

Well, I suppose I should correct myself to "Did want, but not at the premium price the dealer was expecting."

It's a basic bike, I'd pay basic bike prices for one.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Teflon-Mike]

[arry]

The answer is simple. Keep the Van Van, and buy something else to go alongside it.

Having a 125 in my life saves me fortunes - literally - it's cut my commute to work costs by a bawhair short of a metric cunt load

[Rogerborg]

[dandelion]

What is it in in human nature, to desire what we can't or shouldn't have?

Appreciate the responses re the garage, as it turns out, it isn't a bad idea to talk* to your other half. She wants a bigger garden. said a garage would keep all my crap* out of her* garden shed.

Keeping the 125 is perhaps the most reasonable option, as by the time I'm done saving for the bigger one, it will be worth peanuts to others and yet still something to myself. (purchased from new).

Is this the inverse of a catch 22? Where a motorbike justifies having the garage and the garage justifies having another motorbike?

Rogerborg I'm hoping that V7 you saw was by the seaside and had caught the tide several times? Rust at that low mileage is somewhat disappointing.







*Not necessarily true.

[Rogerborg]

[dandelion]

I'll likely wait for a used in decent condition. Hopefully a couple of winters will sort out the creme from the milk. There's always the Breva 750, nothing I dislike about that. Except perhaps parts availability.

The vv is holding up pretty well, especially when parked up next to cbf's and ktm's 125's. Seems 'quality' means less nowadays. Sure they're manufactured in India under 'supervision', whatever that means. Would hope guzzi would fare better, is all.

[southglasgow]

Keep the RV. I miss mine, and I only got rid of it four months ago. Didn't someone say their biggest regret was not keeping all their bikes?
:edit: Should say I also looked at the V7, thanks for the heads up Rog, I'll keep an open mind if I go looking for one next year.
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CBT June 09 - Kymco KR 125 July 09 -> Sept 09. Suzuki RV125 June 10 -> Theory June 13, MOD 1 July 13, MOD 2 August 13. Woohoo -> April 14. Yamaha XJ6N.

[Rogerborg]

5 minutes with a tin of Hammerite and I probably wouldn't have noticed. Hey, let's be careful out there.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Shaft]

[Motorhate]

Why not buy a 200cc VanVan ?
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Current - Harley Davidson FXDB Street Bob | Harley Davidson FLTR Road Glide | Harley Davidson Road King
GONE - Honda CB500 Ratbike | Yamaha FZ750 | Yamaha XVS1100 | Kawasaki VN2000 | Kawasaki ER-6 F | Harley Davidson XL883L Sportster

[dandelion]

At only 4 more BHP and slightly heavier I doubt that juice is worth the squeeze. A rare find and usually overpriced. Plus the heart wants variety.

Whole we're on topic, any classic looking that can hold well against outdoor storage? Excluding bonnies, me no like.