Guzzi for back lanes, mud and gravel?

General Discussion Which motorcycle should I get?
1

I spend most of the winter months tootling around the back lanes of the Cotswolds on my V65. The roads are often pot-hole’d, muddy and/or covered in gravel.

I think I really need an old Jap trail bike (something with a smaller engine and lots of suspension) but don’t want to get rid of my V65.

I have a Le Mans for road work so don’t need the V65 for that. I also have a Lario that needs work, so don’t need the V65 as a project.

I’d like to make the V65 into more of a trail bike but I haven’t seen any successful V50/V65 conversions to a trail bike (and I can’t afford a V65TT or NTX).

Any ideas? Am I flogging a dead horse? Should I sell the V65 and buy a Jap trail bike?

ta
stuart

2

It is a shame, the NTX, TT and XPA’s are great fun bikes.

3

My XPA was cheap as it was very tatty and had a few bits missing (hasn’t improved greatly!). There are others out there but you may to look at one of the mainland Europe vendors.
Thought about this a lot and I’d say converting your 650 would be pretty costly.
Be interested in hearing about the Lario too.

All the best
steve

4

Same here

5

What’s the difference in the swing arm and UJ between the NTX/TT and the V65? If none then longer shocks and the front end off a jap trail bike should make for a cheap and easy conversion. Handlebars and other details are up to you.

PS: The necessary [Guzzi] parts for a front end swap are currently available on ebay lawries2014-03-19 08:43:12

6

[QUOTE=lawries] What’s the difference in the swing arm and UJ between the NTX/TT and the V65? If none then longer shocks and the front end off a jap trail bike should make for a cheap and easy conversion. Handlebars and other details are up to you.

PS: The necessary [Guzzi] parts for a front end swap are currently available on ebay [/QUOTE]
yam XT 660R frontend could work,rear guzzi tt,ntx wheel would cost about £150

7

I come from SonA. I used to spend a lot of my spare time exploring the back lanes of the Cotswolds on a VF1000, on street tyres, when I wasn’t riding my '81 Montesa in organised trials.

They’re roads, you have a road bike… I don’t see what the problem is, let alone how a ‘dirt-bike’ would solve it… unless you want to start gong cross country, on ‘dirt’?

Most of the Charlie wannabees out there now, on KTM’s and BMW’s don’t need half of the capability of a full on enduro bike, with MX derived long travel suspension for soaking up 60mph areal acrobatics, for a ‘bit of green laning’ where there’s a blanket speed limit of 25mph for anything unsurfaced, anyway.

And you certainly don’t need that much suspension for soaking up a 2" pot-hole in a bit of broken tar!

Those roads were there long before pneumatic tyres, let alone long-travel multi-link hydraulic damped gas charged suspension… My old Grandad was tearing around them lanes on a Rudge Rigid when he was a boy!

Old fashioned reading the road, and riding to the surface conditions has always served well in the past; yet for some reason these days whenever we cant do something, we look to blame the machine!

So, there’s my ideas; a bad workman blames his tools, and horses for courses; a road bike on public roads ought have far fewer ‘compromises’ than a track bike used on public road or a dirt bike used on public road, or a compromise ‘on-off-road’ trail bike used anywhere!

So what is the real problem? Specifically or generally you are trying to solve? If its ‘grip’? Well, tyre choice or even tyre pressure can make huge differences to how a bike handles; and maximising available traction; BUT if you are riding beyond limits of traction or not riding to the conditions to begin with… all it will do is change how far you get and how fast you are going when you find the limits.

If its uncomfortable cos of the bumps? Again, tyre pressure, tyre choice and suspension settings; maybe even alternative dampers MIGHT help… but again, if you aren’t riding to the conditions, likely only to change the crash-point.

What about a trials school or off-road adventure day? Old bit of pit-lane lore; “Want a better bike? Fit a better Rider!”; little bit of learning ‘loose’ riding could do far more for your than trying to change your bike, and would work on all your bikes, and any other you rode, not just the 65.

Just a bit of out of the box thinking…

8

There you have it - a Rudge rigid is the answer.

9

buy a Honda step throughor an indian enfieldhttp://royalenfield.com/motorcycles/classic-battle-green

10

This would have done you - it’s now being regularly used in the trails and lanes of the Peak District by its happy new owner: Stornello Scrambler

11

Just fit knobblier tyres and go if you own it and/or need to ride a few road miles as well. Having done Moroccan Pistes and Finnish forest trails on a Triumph Bonneville I can fully support Rudge Rigid shaped bikes over Bavaian Behemoths with tons of added laser-cut aluminium.

If the trails are fifty miles from home though your back will thank you for the weight and your bank balance for the plastic bodywork on a ten year old Japanese 250cc trail bike.

Andy

12

Did the Himalayas in 2008 on a Royal Enfield 500 Bullet. It coped with anything on crappy ribbed tyres and knackered road suspension. Gravel roads, tarmac, dry river beds, dead cows…nothing it didn’t cross with a bit of momentum and shut eyes!
But if you need an excuse (who does) to spend…anything you fancy will do it. Just go for it…money is for spending, not hoarding.
Oh, and you could have my F800GS for some of your money.